My biggest piece of advice for Holiday shopping is to truly evaluate what is it you enjoy most about giving gifts to people you care about! Does fighting through crowded and crazy mall parking lots, fighting for a parking spot and dodging the cold weather just to get into an overcrowded ‘sale crazed’ atmosphere really do it for you? When I was younger I enjoyed the liveliness of Black Friday and some of the shopping days between then and the end of the year, but now it just seems like way too much effort to obtain items that may friends and family may or may NOT need or want.
Think about more personal gifts this year. Are you good at taking pictures? Go to your favorite city or country spots and take some beautiful images that you’d love to share! Mount them on packs of blank ‘postcard’ packs and frame them if you’d like as gifts. I’ll bet your loved ones really enjoy the thought you put into it!
Make some sweet homemade ‘coupons’ for some one on one time with your favorite nieces and nephews…. Say an afternoon at the movies with soda and popcorn, a trip to the Aquarium etc…. An afternoon of quality time on the day of their choosing might be just the ticket!
And really consider shopping online for your holiday gifts. Hopefully it will help you stick to your budget and avoid impulse shopping. And you can do it from your home with a cup of hot chocolate in hand. Make a date of it and set aside time to peruse some of your favorite online stores and shops. And since you’ll already be online, Google for online coupons to use at your favorite online spots to use while you shop. You might find a few gems!! Enjoy….
