So you have heard about those people who have gotten all of their Christmas shopping done before the kiddies dress up like goblins and the bird is out of the oven. This is not a legend, but actually a very practical way to shop for Christmas gifts. Beating the rush, and shopping for Christmas gifts during the summer is full of all kinds of pros. Here are a few good reasons to shop for Christmas during the summer:
- Better gifts. If you start shopping early, you do not end up giving gifts out of necessity to find something, instead you give gifts that are actually great to receive. Why? Because you have more time and less pressure to find something they will love. If you have months to spare in choosing the perfect gift, you won’t have to settle. Starting in summer gives you the ability to think it through and get the right gift, not the convenient one.
- Money. One of the hard things about Christmas shopping is finding a way to come up with enough money to buy all the gifts you want to give. While ideally people should save all year long for the event, most don’t, and instead go into debt for Christmas. If you start your shopping in the summer, you can spread the shopping out, and thus the financial impact out. This means getting more gifts with less debt.
- Fewer or shorter lines. One of the hardest parts about shopping during the holiday season is fighting the crowds. People flock to malls, etc. to see Santa Claus, and to get their shopping done. A routine trip to a department store for panty hose can turn into a several hour delay of waiting in long lines, being asked if you want that gift wrapped, and watching shoppers squabble over the last size or color of an item. You can avoid all of this and more by beating the rush and doing your shopping early.
If you know who you have to buy gifts for at Christmas, why not get it done early? Beat the rush, eliminate much of the stress, and free up some time in your holidays to enjoy the eggnog, have fun at your work party instead of worrying about what gift to get your boss, and spend time with friends and family. If you get your shopping done early, you could bake cookies, read a book, or make snow angels instead of looking for parking in an icy parking lot, or watching for the mail man to deliver the items you bought online, crossing your fingers that they get to you in time for Christmas.