Christmas... Everyone seems to be in good cheer. Next to your own birthday, it's the happiest time of the year. But with such a busy life with no time to spare or no clue what to give to others on your limited budget; it's no wonder that you feel stressed as well.

Make a Plan

It won't be easy, but you can accomplish all that you set out to do this time of the year. You can get everything under control if you follow a plan. The best plan is done well in advance, but a plan now is better than none at all.

It only takes a few seconds of your time to jot down a list of all the people you know that you will buy a gift for. The hard part is figuring out what they will like and finding the best deals. That does take up some time, but will be appreciated by them.

Find out What People Want

Many people figure out what people want by carefully listening to their conversations they have with them throughout the year. What seems to be mentioned often? That could be a clue that there might be a problem that hasn't been solved and you can buy something that solves that problem. For example, you hear your sister complain about how cold it is in her room. The perfect gift would be to buy a portable heater.

There are other ways to figure out what people might like. Just think of their jobs, their interest or hobbies and activities. This would be the most targeted and efficient way of deciding what to buy them.

The Last Resort

After you've gone through this thinking process and you still don't know what to get or if you find out that someone else will be giving the gift you thought of, you can always resort to giving a gift certificate or card. Contrary to what you might think, gift cards are not a sign that you haven't thought about the person. There will be people that you can't figure out what to give. Rather than not giving anything or something they may not be using, the gift card would be the best gift for this person. This lets your recipient decide themselves what's right for them.

When You Have No Time to Shop

You are not the only person in the world who will end up getting your Christmas shopping done at the last moment. It happens to many of us. But if you are caught in such a situation, then you'll have to use expedited shipping, such as next day or two day mail, assuming you are shopping online.

You've heard the advice many times before that doing your Christmas shopping online is the most convenient way to get everything done, especially if you don't have the time or desire to visit the malls. Sometimes you do get better deals, the option of having your gift wrapped with a personalized note all delivered directly to your recipient and with no shipping charges. You do need to keep in mind that there are definite deadlines you must order by to guarantee that your gift will arrive before Christmas day. The shopping sites usually post this information on their home page to warn you in advance.

Closing Thoughts

We all know Christmas isn't all about shopping and spending money. But it's a fact that, it's a terrible feeling to let down the ones you love by not having a gift for them and they've gotten a gift for you. Hopefully you have started early enough to get your shopping done so you don't get into this situation. With advance planning you can avoid the mad rush and enjoy what Christmas really means.

Copyright Wanda Lam