How to Finish Holiday Shopping Before Thanksgiving
- 1). Start shopping for Christmas the day after the previous Christmas. Purchase Christmas-themed gift items, like decorations, cookie tins and housewares, at significant discounts during after-Christmas sales.
- 2). Keep a list handy of extended family, co-workers and friends for whom you can purchase small presents throughout the year. Check each one off so you do not overbuy.
- 3). Keep a box of giftable items as you find them on sale. Gifts like embroidered holiday towels, vanity soaps and kitchen decorative items are easy to keep for less personal presents like your child’s teacher, postal workers and co-workers.
- 4). Six months before Christmas, brainstorm gift ideas for the most important people in your life. Purchase the presents you know they will still want at Christmas.
- 5). Keep a list of interests for each of your children, your spouse or partner and close family members. This way, even if you can’t think of an exact present to find, you might stumble across something they would like based on their interests or hobbies.
- 6). Buy interest and hobby-based presents for your children early. Pick presents for their interests and hobbies that are less likely to change in a few months. Rollerblades, art supplies and sports equipment can all be bought at sale prices during the summer months.
- 7). In September, make a conclusive list of each person you need to give a Christmas present, what that present will be and any extra gifts the person will get. Check off items purchased throughout the summer and from the previous Christmas sales. Make a plan for each of the remaining items or people left on the list.
- 8). For the remaining presents on your list, write down specifically where and when you will purchase each one. If you need to head out of town for a shopping trip, plan it for the most time-efficient day.
- 9). Stock up on food staples for Christmas dinner well before Thanksgiving. Chicken broth, canned items and stuffing will keep for months. Other vegetables and fruits may be frozen. This avoids even last minute grocery runs before holiday feasts.