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The Holiday Shopping Experience - Rewarding or Traumatic?


Picture this scenario! It's December 24th, the day of Christmas Eve. On this day you should be relaxing, enjoying time with family and thinking of all the precious memories you have created throughout the year.

No, wait! It's the last day of shopping before Christmas and you haven't even started to do your gift shopping.

You get into your car and fight traffic all the way to the local mall, only to spend an hour trying to find a parking spot. That is if you find one at all. You enter the mall in search of the perfect gifts and there is a stampede of people. Looks like everyone else is doing last minute shopping too!

You dodge the nudging elbows and stomping feet of the crowds. You're starting to feel claustrophobic, your stress level is starting to increase and you haven't even begun shopping yet!

Sound familiar? To top it all off, you browse through the stores only to find that meager offerings remain. The shelves are practically empty. What happens then? You spend too much money on something that your gift recipient neither needs or wants. Their gift wasn't chosen for them...it was chosen out of desperation.

Once again, you remind yourself that you will prepare far in advance for Christmas next year. The next Holiday Season arrives and you repeat the same traumatic shopping experience.

How many of us have waited until the very last moment to buy a gift for a loved one, friend or business associate? There is only three months left until Christmas and those days will go quickly.

Christmas is one of the most stressful events of the year. The expense of buying gifts and the pressure of last minute shopping can all take the joy out of the most joyful time of year.

Here are some tips to take the stress out of Holiday shopping this year:

1) Make a list of the people you will be buying a gift for before you go shopping. If you have a large family or friends to buy gifts for, it can get expensive. In our family, we have made the decision to buy only for the children. Another way to reduce costs is to have everyone draw a name out of a hat and buy a present only for that person.

2) Think of gift ideas for the people on your list and write them down. What are their hobbies and interests? What are their needs and wants? If you cannot come up with anything, ask the person directly for ideas. This will save you time wandering aimlessly in the mall in search of a gift and you will give a gift that your gift recipient really wants and will appreciate.

3) Buy a few extra gifts, for instance chocolates, so that you will be prepared just in case you forgot somebody or an unexpected guest arrives bearing gifts.

4) If possible, start your Holiday shopping a month or two before Christmas. It is never to early to prepare!

5) Don't forget about online shopping! Buy your gifts over the internet. You can find most gifts online, shop at your own convenience and you won't have to step foot in a mall.

If you follow these tips, you are on your way to a rewarding shopping experience and a less stressful Holiday Season.

We all must remember that Christmas is a joyful time of year. It's not about the gift you give or receive but it is about cherishing the special people in your life and spending time with them. Create new traditions and memories that will be with you for a lifetime.

Copyright 2004 Written by Lee-Anne Robert, owner of Cuddles 'n Gifts at http://www.cuddlesngifts.net featuring holiday gift baskets and gifts for any occasion. Check out the new Holiday and Christmas Gift Basket selection. With gifts this beautiful and classy, you will find a gift for anyone on your list!


"Holidays" in the News:

WKRG-TV

Sales Tax holiday this Friday to cover clothing and footwear
Madison County Journal
The temporary sales tax holiday was approved in the 2009 legislative session through the leadership of state Sen. Walter Michel, whose District 25 ...
Tax free holiday doesn't go far enoughWLOX
Sales tax holiday this weekendJackson Clarion Ledger
Tax Free Holiday Savings!CBS42
WTOK -Examiner.com -fox4kc.com
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Videogamer.com

Socom 4 Not Coming For Holidays, Pushed To 2011
I4U
What was to be one of the biggest holiday hits is now being pushed back to next year, as Socom 4 developers are unable to wrap up the project in time. ...
SOCOM 4 Deployment Delayed, Moving Out in 2011Kombo.com

all 37 news articles »


Stores ready for tax holiday
Hattiesburg American
Turtle Creek Mall Manager Bryan LeBlanc describes the tax holiday weekend as Christmas in July or the second Black Friday. Either way, the tax holiday that ...

and more »


French first lady's cameo ruins cabinet's holidays
Ottawa Citizen
But French government ministers were less enamoured as the first lady's foray into films disrupted their summer holiday plans. ...

and more »


Broadcom Stocks Up for the Holidays
Motley Fool
Broadcom (Nasdaq: BRCM) is waving up some subtle ones about the upcoming holiday season, if you only know what to look for. The second-quarter report showed ...

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This is London

Child abductions rise expected in summer holidays
AFP
In many cases, parents pretend to be going on holiday with their child to their country of origin, but fail to return. Jeremy Browne, FCO minister for ...
Number of child abductions rises by 39 per cent in a year - Foreign OfficeTelegraph.co.uk

all 85 news articles »


Telegraph.co.uk

Parasail holiday dad fell 150ft to his death
Mirror.co.uk
A dad tandem parasailing with his daughter on holiday plummeted 150ft to his death when his harness snapped. ...
British man plunges to death after 'harness snaps' in Turkish parasailing accidentTelegraph.co.uk

all 67 news articles »


CTIA's Annual Hot for the Holidays Awards Program to Accept Entries in August
PR Newswire (press release)
WASHINGTON, July 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Have a hot product that should top everyone's gift list this holiday season? Look no further than the second ...

and more »


Telegraph.co.uk

Annie Mac's holiday heaven and hell
Telegraph.co.uk
I went to Thailand with my boyfriend earlier this year, and it was the first holiday in about five years that didn't involve work. ...



Commissioners nod extension, delay holiday pay policy
TMCnet
Holiday pay District 3 Commissioner Kirt Thacker introduced a policy to prvent granting holiday pay to county employees who do not already receive fulltime ...

and more »

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