Holidays Information

The Holiday Shopping Experience - Rewarding or Traumatic?


Picture this scenario! It's December 24th, the day of Christmas Eve. On this day you should be relaxing, enjoying time with family and thinking of all the precious memories you have created throughout the year.

No, wait! It's the last day of shopping before Christmas and you haven't even started to do your gift shopping.

You get into your car and fight traffic all the way to the local mall, only to spend an hour trying to find a parking spot. That is if you find one at all. You enter the mall in search of the perfect gifts and there is a stampede of people. Looks like everyone else is doing last minute shopping too!

You dodge the nudging elbows and stomping feet of the crowds. You're starting to feel claustrophobic, your stress level is starting to increase and you haven't even begun shopping yet!

Sound familiar? To top it all off, you browse through the stores only to find that meager offerings remain. The shelves are practically empty. What happens then? You spend too much money on something that your gift recipient neither needs or wants. Their gift wasn't chosen for them...it was chosen out of desperation.

Once again, you remind yourself that you will prepare far in advance for Christmas next year. The next Holiday Season arrives and you repeat the same traumatic shopping experience.

How many of us have waited until the very last moment to buy a gift for a loved one, friend or business associate? There is only three months left until Christmas and those days will go quickly.

Christmas is one of the most stressful events of the year. The expense of buying gifts and the pressure of last minute shopping can all take the joy out of the most joyful time of year.

Here are some tips to take the stress out of Holiday shopping this year:

1) Make a list of the people you will be buying a gift for before you go shopping. If you have a large family or friends to buy gifts for, it can get expensive. In our family, we have made the decision to buy only for the children. Another way to reduce costs is to have everyone draw a name out of a hat and buy a present only for that person.

2) Think of gift ideas for the people on your list and write them down. What are their hobbies and interests? What are their needs and wants? If you cannot come up with anything, ask the person directly for ideas. This will save you time wandering aimlessly in the mall in search of a gift and you will give a gift that your gift recipient really wants and will appreciate.

3) Buy a few extra gifts, for instance chocolates, so that you will be prepared just in case you forgot somebody or an unexpected guest arrives bearing gifts.

4) If possible, start your Holiday shopping a month or two before Christmas. It is never to early to prepare!

5) Don't forget about online shopping! Buy your gifts over the internet. You can find most gifts online, shop at your own convenience and you won't have to step foot in a mall.

If you follow these tips, you are on your way to a rewarding shopping experience and a less stressful Holiday Season.

We all must remember that Christmas is a joyful time of year. It's not about the gift you give or receive but it is about cherishing the special people in your life and spending time with them. Create new traditions and memories that will be with you for a lifetime.

Copyright 2004 Written by Lee-Anne Robert, owner of Cuddles 'n Gifts at http://www.cuddlesngifts.net featuring holiday gift baskets and gifts for any occasion. Check out the new Holiday and Christmas Gift Basket selection. With gifts this beautiful and classy, you will find a gift for anyone on your list!


MORE RESOURCES:

Mississippi Press (blog)

Sales Tax Holiday Set For August 6-8
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Most clothing and footwear purchases will be exempt from sales tax during the holiday weekend. UNDATED -- Make your shopping list now for the back-to-school ...
Sales tax holiday: Are they really good for consumers?Sun-Sentinel
Chamber: Think local during sales tax holidayMorris Daily Herald
Off the Rack: Make sure you're getting a real deal during tax holidayFayObserver.com
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Sales tax holiday proposed
MassLive.com
BOSTON - State legislators on Friday unveiled an economic development bill that includes a sales tax holiday for Aug. 14 and 15. ...

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WKRG-TV

Back To School Savings: Sales Tax Holidays In Alabama And Florida
NorthEscambia.com
Both Alabama and Florida have upcoming school sales tax holidays with back to school tax savings on school supplies and clothing. ...
Hopes high for tax holidayAndalusia Star-News
U.S. States' Sales-Tax Holidays for School Shopping Derided as `Gimmicks'Bloomberg
Shoppers to get break with sales tax holidaysTri State Defender
WLOX -Baltimore Sun -Troy Messenger
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Retailers push for early start to holiday shopping
Mason City Globe Gazette
Sales of Christmas items during the summer usually go well despite the holiday being five months away. Retailers are pumping more energy this year into ...
stores celebrate 'Christmas in July'York Daily Record

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Top Ten Cycling Holidays
Mirror.co.uk
Go to www.skedaddle.co.uk The beauty of a cycling holiday in Suffolk is that the terrain is pancake-flat, making it a great option for even the most amateur ...



Jacada Travel Offer Galapagos Holidays with More Life
Online PR News (press release)
With more people than ever choosing Galapagos holidays for the experience of a lifetime, it makes sense to choose a holiday provider who has in depth ...

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Rep. Jason Chaffetz bill would create 'mail holidays'
Deseret News
The legislation Chaffetz introduced Thursday would give the US postmaster general the authority to declare 12 mail holidays — an average of one a month ...

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Payment holiday about as likely as a free lunch
Times LIVE
The mortgage provider responded with a masterpiece of sarcasm, congratulating the debt counsellor on offering people payment holidays. ...



Eve Samples: Florida's sales tax holiday is not worth celebrating
TCPalm
Yet the Florida House unanimously approved bringing the holiday back this year, after a two-year hiatus. All but one state senator, Nan Rich, ...



Socom 4 Not Coming For Holidays, Pushed To 2011
I4U
What was to be one of the biggest holiday hits is now being pushed back to next year, as Socom 4 developers are unable to wrap up the project in time. ...

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