Why Start Christmas Shopping Early
Christmas is one of the world’s biggest religious and commercial festivities. Millions of people all over the world, both Christians and non-Christians, participate in the Christmas celebrations. The celebration starts on the evening of 24 December, which is the Christmas Eve.
The festival will be here in 4 months’ time. It is, therefore, wise to start your Christmas shopping now. Shopping for Christmas gifts early does have some distinct advantages.
Less stressful shopping
Shopping centres start to get crowded three weeks before Christmas. As the festival draws near, the situation at these malls can be chaotic as hordes of shoppers are rushing to complete their Christmas shopping.
Some people do enjoy the thrill of Christmas shopping in the crowded and chaotic atmosphere. However, most people will find it hectic and stressful having to do the bulk of Christmas shopping just few days before the festival, on top of other commitments. It can be very frustrating, as well as time-consuming, having to queue for more than thirty minutes just to pay for the items.
Heavy traffic and traffic jams in the shopping districts are the norm during this festive period. Passengers in public transport, especially MRT trains, are packed like sardines. Long queues for taxis can be seen everywhere.
Wider choice of gifts
Having more time to shop around enables you to find more meaningful gifts for everyone on your Christmas list.
When you are doing Christmas shopping early, you can go for personalized or engraved gifts, which will take more time to produce.
Additionally, you can even shop online for nice and unique items that are not available in local stores. No need to worry about a postal delay in the delivery of your parcel if you are purchasing the Christmas gifts two or three months in advance.
Moreover, when it comes to the most popular Christmas gift for the year, you have better chance of getting them as they are hot items and sold out weeks before the festival.
Financial benefits
You have plenty of time to compare prices in different stores if you plan early for the gifts. You can also wait for bargain sales that occur throughout the year. Considerable savings can result from purchases made during such great sales.
On the other hand, for last-minute shopping, you might not be able to find suitable gifts that are within your budget. You will most probably be ended up spending more on gifts as there is not much time left to look around for alternative presents.
In addition, just imagine the amount of credit card bills accumulated if you are to do all your Christmas shopping in December. It is unpleasant to start the New Year faced with exorbitant credit card debts accrued from the previous month’s shopping.
By spreading your Christmas purchases over a few months, you can avoid the financial strains typically associated with last-minute Christmas shopping.
Spare time for Christmas activities
Christmas activities include official and private Christmas party functions, gift wrapping, Christmas tree decoration, baking cookies, etc.
Those with no worry of unfinished Christmas shopping tasks can really relax, have fun and enjoy themselves in the above activities.
Pitfalls of early Christmas shopping
While buying Christmas gifts early does have its advantages, there are pitfalls to look out for. It is easy to lose track of how much we are spending on Christmas gifts as the bills blend in with regular monthly expenses.
Furthermore, we might end up making unnecessary purchases resulting in unneeded gifts come Christmas time.
Shopping list and gift budget
To avoid such problems, prepare a gift list and allot an amount for each present.
Always have the list handy when you go for your early Christmas shopping and stick to it to avoid impulse buying.
After buying something for someone on the list, cross off his or her name. Write down the gift against that person’s name. This helps to prevent buying present again for the same person because you might have forgotten you already bought their gift.
When budgeting for presents, expenses on Christmas cards, postage, decorations, parties, and holiday entertainment should also be taken into consideration as these add up to the Christmas spending.
Overspending can be avoided by trying not to exceed the allotted budget for each gift.
Start Christmas planning today and soon you will find yourself in the celebratory and festive mood. Have a merry and stress-free Christmas holiday!
© 2011 pinkytoky