The holidays are drawing ever closer, and with the holidays comes joy, cheer, delicious foods, and crazy malls! There are some ways to be strategic about it, however, and in order to avoid all the insane stress of navigating the maze of your local shopping centre, there is some advice you should heed when thinking about holiday gifts. Firstly, a list may seem obvious, but do not skip it under any circumstances. These lists can get quite lengthy and ending up with multiples for one recipient and none for another is a very bad result that can come from shopping on the fly. Keep your list organised and hand-write it if possible, as writing in your own hand, no matter how messy, is categorized as more important by your brain. Planning ahead is also an obvious one, but shop around online to avoid being extra distracted once you arrive at a particular store. 

Enlisting help can be just that—a big help! Of course, when someone else is with you, you can’t exactly shop for them if you’re aiming for a surprise. But with another person’s help you’ll find yourself with extra time to shop just for them anyway. One cannot stress shopping early enough. November is a great time to crack down on the list, get everything home, wrapped, and hidden, and then proceed to laugh maniacally when the shopping madness ensues. Deals that are put on for holiday shoppers aren’t usually good ones, and in fact some products are marked up because of the demand! This includes Boxing Day also.

For any shopping trip, taking breaks is something nobody seems to remember to do. Being tired and hungry can cause some rash decisions to be made and you’ll just have to make another trip anyway! Last minute shopping should be reserved for stocking stuffers or gifts that aren’t supremely important, because the hot items will most likely be sold out by the time you get there!