It’s the age-old question: How early should I start Christmas shopping?
The nugget of wisdom we are about to share is certainly a hard pill to swallow, and you won’t want to hear it. But the truth is that, when it comes to Christmas shopping, there’s no such thing as starting too early. However, conversely, there is definitely such a thing as too late. If you were wondering, yes, many of us have learned that the hard way.
We aren’t implying that Christmas 2024 shopping for the next year should start on Boxing Day 2023. But, as any recovering last-minute shopper will tell you, there are many tips and tricks you can follow to make sure you don’t make the same mistakes we did. Today, we will discuss some of the most helpful advice we have come across to plan, start and finish your Christmas shopping on time.
How Early Should I Start Christmas Shopping? Tips and Tricks to Plan, Start and Finish On Time
Consult your calendar
Truly one of the best ways to ensure you don’t run out of time is to consult your calendar. What weekends do you have free from now up until mid-December? Are there any weeks where you already know you will be too busy to shop that you can block out? And when are you meeting up with your loved ones to exchange gifts, AKA, when is the deadline? These are all good questions to ask yourself as early as you can, which will help you work out when a reasonable time is to start your shopping.
Also, outside of your own schedule, it’s also worth making a note in your diary of dates like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Although many think it’s too early, Black Friday weekend can be the perfect time to buy any bigger presents to get them out of the way. Moreover, the big savings are the perfect incentive to get you starting your Christmas shopping early.
Devise a strategy around your schedule
This brings us to our next point: shopping strategy.
If you’re more of an in-person shopper, from here, you can pencil in weekends to do any physical shopping trips. To make sure you stick to it, call up your friends and make the trip a fun wintery day out. After all, there is no better way to ease the pain of a Christmas shop than good company and a seasonal coffee in hand.
Alternatively, the beauty of this day and age is online shopping. Usually, this is far easier than a physical shopping trip to fit around a busy schedule (or an introvert’s social battery). Online shopping also means you can do it little by little, which works far better for some people. But, this does mean you will have to take the extra step of pencilling in the latest shipping dates into your calendar so you don’t fall behind. Moreover, if you’re doing all your shopping online over a long period of time, it might be worth setting yourself weekly goals to avoid leaving it all too late.
However, for many, a combination of the two is the sweet spot. But, to keep on top of it all, a list will be your best friend.
Make a list (and check it twice)
Another essential planning step is making a list of who and how many people you are buying for. Of course, this information goes hand in hand with the tips above, as it’ll give you a guideline of how much time you need to dedicate to Christmas shopping. If you realise you have a fair few people to buy for, you might need to revise step one and pencil out even more shopping time.
It also helps to jot down budgets for each person, as well as ideas for what you might like to buy them. In turn, this will also give you an idea of how much of your shopping can be done online and which shops you will need to take a trip out to. But if thinking up gift ideas is too much too early, don’t worry. If you’re feeling stumped, we have ample helpful Christmas gift guides on our blog to help you on your way.
But if the organisation alone isn’t motivational enough to make a list, just think of the satisfaction of ticking off each name as you go.
It’s best to remember that the more you work out in this stage, the less stressful the rest of the process will be. Additionally, using a combination of these tips should give a solid guideline of when is best for you to start based on your schedule and shopping list. But, if you find yourself lagging behind by a few weeks, don’t panic. Our next-day delivery service at First Class Watches has you covered, as long as you order by 21st December at the latest.
