The time for gift-giving is fast approaching, and whilst it might feel like there is plenty of time to organize, it’ll go much faster than you think. Deciding which gifts to choose for teenagers, kids, babies and adults can be tricky, and getting in early means you have time to get your holiday gift plan in order and make sure you’re able to source more unique or difficult to get hold of items.
Last year, CNN explained how $942 million was spent on Christmas gifts, with total expenditure for the festive season estimated at more than $1 trillion dollars. Gift giving is big business, and it can be extra costly if you leave it all to the last minute – so for a stress-free, simple, and enjoyable festive period, take a look at some of the ideas below to organize your holiday gift plan.
Making A List
Making a holiday gift plan involves lists. More specifically, a list of people you want or need to buy gifts for. If it’s a long list, you may find it easier to split it into smaller lists, whichever way makes most sense to you. This could be immediate family, friends, and acquaintances, for example; priority, non-priority, and nice to have; or split by age ranges. Whatever works for you, having some kind of list written down in to help you stay organized and identify which tasks you need to do first. Get the Christmas extension pack for your Happy Planner to keep your gift list organized, keep track of Christmas cards, plan your holiday menu and more! Happy Planner makes it easy to keep track of your holiday gift plan and more.
Checking It Twice
Next, write down any ideas you have already for gifts you think people would like. You can keep it basic, or get some detail going – add stores you plan to use and prices for what you wish to purchase to help you plan your time and your budget more easily. For some people, you may instantly know what they’d love to receive, but others may be more awkward. Favorite kids gift suggestions include items that inspire imaginative play, books, and interactive tabletop and outdoor activities. If it is teenage girls you are buying for, ideas range from stylish bags, clothes and accessories through to tech, gadgets and party games. Teenagers may also enjoy the gift of an experience rather than a material item – and the same goes for adults. The more ideas and information you add, the more in control you’ll be – you’ll find it really helps you to plan which gifts you need to buy first – and when.
Homemade Gifts
If arts and crafts is your type of thing, you may be hoping to give homemade gifts to some or all of your friends and family. This in itself takes planning – make sure you’ve thought about the materials you need for each item, where you can get them, how long they’ll take to arrive, and how much time you need to get them all finished. Having to rush the last few bits of a project because you ran out of time is stress that no busy Mom needs in the run-up to festive events. Make your shopping list and holiday gift plan on paper so you know what you need and when to buy it.
Finishing Touches
Don’t forget about the gift wrapping! Whether you’re going for understated and elegant, or in-your-face festive, you’ll need some supplies to add the finishing touches to your gifts. Ribbons, string, wrapping, tape, decorations… getting in early and making sure you have supplies on hand is a great way to stay savvy and avoid last minute panics or sold out stores. If you’re sticking to online shopping, it’s good to order early too, as the postal service is predicted to be very busy, and you may experience delays later down the line.
Get A Planner!
With all the planning you have ahead of you, why not make the first thing you invest in an awesome planner, so you have somewhere easy and accessible to start your lists and keep track of where you are? You can even hold on to it for next year, and save yourself even more time in the future so you can have the best holiday season ever! Happy shopping!
