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:

Los Angeles Times

Holiday travel in Virginia predicted to increase
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About 12000 more people are expected to hit the roads in Virginia this year compared to last year's Memorial Day holiday weekend, according to AAA - an increase of about 1.2 percent over 2011. The numbers are the result of a survey of travel intentions ...
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New Hampshire Watchdog

Sales tax holiday begins today on hurricane-related items
The Virginian-Pilot
By Carolyn Shapiro Virginia's annual sales tax “holiday” on purchases to prepare for a hurricane begins today and continues through Thursday. The program allows consumers to save the state's 5 percent sales tax on batteries, flashlights, bottled water, ...
Sales tax holiday encourages residents to prepare for disastersChatham Star Tribune
County approves two sales tax holidaysThe Clarion

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USA TODAY

National holiday has its roots in the Civil War
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The holiday was quickly officially adopted by many states in the north with all the northern states officially declaring it a holiday by 1890. The southern states held their own observances of the holiday through the latter half of the 19th century ...
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Holidays inspire disadvantaged children to learn, says study
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Holidays could serve as a valuable extension of the national curriculum for the UK's disadvantaged youngsters, new research has suggested. They provide a significant source of learning for children from low-income families who are otherwise stuck in ...



A doctor's tips on staying safe this holiday weekend
msnbc.com
By Dr. Tyeese Gaines After months of frigid temps, dodging rainstorms and wrapped in warm blankets, Memorial Day is the first holiday to celebrate the start of warmer weather. The sun is out. Sunglasses are on. Sweat is glistening.

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Hometown Holidays 2012: 'More Country,' Still Plenty of Rock 'n' Roll
Patch.com
By Sean R. Sedam This year's Rockville's Hometown Holidays will be “a little more country” than last year's. Sunday's showcase concert will feature rising country star Easton Corbin, whose first two singles—“A Little More Country Than That” and “Roll ...

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CBS News

Tropical storm could spoil SC beach holidays
Charlotte Observer
By JOEY HOLLEMAN “Might” is the key word. A low pressure system off Florida has the potential to gather into a weak tropical storm this weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center. The official chance at 10 am Friday was 70 percent that the ...
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Holiday weekend first big test of Volusia's new beach-driving rules
Daytona Beach News-Journal
(NJ | Jim Tiller) Floridians are being warned by state and federal officials to keep an eye on a developing tropical system east of the state during holiday weekend activities. The system, which has caused flooding rains in South Florida this week, ...

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One to Tell the Grandkids: On the Beach Reveal Their Favourite Summer Holiday ...
MarketWatch (press release)
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, May 25, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- With the school holidays looming fast, there's no better time to treat your family to a fantastic beach holiday. Whatever your budget, you can take your kids abroad happy in the knowledge ...

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This is Money

Holiday Cash 'Postcode Lottery' Revealed
Key 103 Manchester
As the summer holidays approach, a consumer group has warned that a 'postcode lottery' on foreign currency exchange rates may be leaving some holidaymakers short-changed. Which? sent mystery shoppers to different currency exchange providers across ...
Holiday money postcode lottery: Currency providers' exchange rates for euro ...This is Money
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