Christmas fan Catherine McCurry says ‘don’t stress’ ahead of the busiest time of the year…
WITH 34 shopping days left until Christmas Day the time is now upon us to start thinking about gifts.
Like every other year Christmas always comes around so quickly and the weeks leading up to December 25 can often disappear in the blink of an eye.
However, the key to a stress-free and successful Christmas shopping trip is planning ahead. And the time you spend planning is time well bestowed.
The Christmas decorations that adorn shop windows and the array of TV ads are the not-so-subtle tell-tale signs that the big day is fast approaching.
Christmas shoppers, on the face of it, can be categorised into the organised shopper and the panic buyer. Safe to say, judging by previous years, the vast majority us slip into the latter.
Most of us are guilty of going into town the weekend before Christmas Day to pick-up the organised shoppers left-overs, purchasing anything which resembles what you set out to buy.
These types of presents are always so obviously last-minute to the receiver so this year put a little extra time, effort and thought into it and you will reap the benefits.
Think about your budget and how much you are planning to spend on your loved ones. Firstly, allow for your monthly bills and then try to estimate how much you have left over from this. If you have been saving or picking things up along the way then you should have an extra few pennies to spend over the festive holidays.
Draw up a list of the people you are buying for and make sure you stick to your fixed amount – don’t allow yourself to get drawn in by those tempting offers.
To help keep the Christmas costs down, why not suggest doing a Secret Santa among your family and friends. It will alleviate the pressures of shopping and means there will be more effort put into that one great gift.
There will be an array of gift ideas at the Christmas Craft Fair on December 6 at the Townhall. Perfect for family members, particularly mums, aunts and grandparents.
Designate one or two days for your shopping trip – don’t let it spill over – and go early to avoid those frustrating queues.
Over the last few years, some stores start their Boxing Day sales early to attract more custom – take advantage of this. While the participating stores have not confirmed if they will be doing the same this year – it’s always a good idea to keep an eye out while your out shopping – particularly stores in Erneside.
If you can, shop local. It’s amazing what you pick up from local stores and there’s a better chance that the gift will be unique.
It also helps local people and local businesses.
Hopefully this will help ease some of the strain of Christmas shopping.
Too early to start thinking about your Christmas day outfit? OK. I’ll leave that for another week.
