While the holiday season is universally delightful, there is one major source of stress: gifts. It's easy to get overwhelmed in crowded stores with super sales and some diehard shopaholics.
Here are some simple tips to eliminate holiday stress and become a master gift giver!
1. Start early.
Always keep your ears open. You never know at what random get together you overhear your brother talking about a piece of camping equipment he wishes he had. Write those ideas down right away! I keep track of gift ideas in my phone. I personally use the Wunderlist app because of the oh-so satisfying ding I get from completing an item. My goal is to have all of my ideas down by November. That gives me about eight weeks for shopping until I need them for Christmas Eve*.
*Note: Depending on which holiday you celebrate this time of year, you may need to adjust your timeline slightly.
2. Be absolutely firm with your budget.
Part of what makes the holidays so hard for me is the cost. So first, take the absolute cap of what can spend within a month or two. What can you afford to spend in addition to your usual expenses? Then divide this by the number of gifts you need to buy to get your per-gift spending limit. By dividing the maximum budget equally, you can ensure no one gets a haphazard last-minute gift because you splurged elsewhere. Take this time to think about how much your friends and family mean to you and show your love. Which reminds me...
2b. Don’t stress about your budget.
The season of giving does not mean you need to stretch yourself thin and risk paying rent. You can express your feelings towards your loved ones with so much more than material possessions. Write someone a poem, or spend the day together. Gifts need not be expensive to be meaningful.
3. Plan out your shopping.
Now that you have ideas for all of your gifts, you need to plan out how you will shop. Try to buy/make at least one gift each week, to lessen the financial impact this time of year takes. Get the online gifts first, to avoid warehouse backorders and shipping mishaps.
4. Have fun wrapping.
Now everyone will agree with me one this but hear me out: wrapping gifts takes time. Use that time to think about the person whose gift you are wrapping. Fill your mind and heart with love and positivity. In addition, it’s a fun opportunity to put your creative spin on the holidays! You can buy plain paper from craft stores that are heavyweight and comes in huge roll- a deal compared to the Santa-covered tissue-thin paper from other places. Check Pinterest for ideas on how to fancy up plain wrapping paper with only a marker!
Do you have any expert tips for gift-giving? Let us know!
