Here’s to you, holiday procrastinator. You’ve decked the halls with fake evergreen, baked enough sugar cookies to gain 10 pounds, and sang along to Frosty the Snowman more times than you’ll admit—but you’ve left one thing until the last minute: Christmas shopping. Fear not. You might worry that you’ll end up with the worst of the picked-over holiday cards and funky jewelry, but all is not lost. Here are a few tips to make your last-minute shopping more enjoyable—or at least bearable.
1. Stick to a budget. Shopping under stress can lead to impulse purchases—you want to get everything done as quickly as possible, so you grab the first acceptable thing you can find. Instead, make sure you know how much you have to spend before you step foot in the store.
2. Make a list and check it twice. Know what you’re looking for, whom you’re buying gifts for, and have backup options. That way, you won’t miss anyone on your list, and you’ll have options—even if all of the Toy Story 3 DVDs are sold out.
3. Avoid peak times. Not surprisingly, noontime and after 5 p.m. tend to be the busiest times of day. Try to go in the morning or in the late afternoon to dodge the crowds.
4. Be creative with your Christmas cards. Instead of buying a mushy, trite card in desperation, consider making your own. Snapfish has stylish templates that allow you to create a more personalized greeting, with your own photos and messages. Best of all, you can order them to be printed at a Walgreens or Walmart and pick them up on the same day. The site also has templates for calendars and photo books, which can make great gifts.
5. Consider gifts that you can’t buy in a store. Gift items and stocking stuffers tend to pile up and, in many cases, never get used. Unless there’s something the gift recipient really wants, consider skipping the stores and purchasing an experience: a night at one of the best hotels in town, a massage at their favorite spa, tickets to a Cardinals game, a free round of golf…something they’ll enjoy—and that can provide them with a nice break after all of their own holiday shopping.
