Five Steps to Enjoy Gift Shopping

The holidays are a time to be generous and cheerful and give time to those you love. Sometimes, our generosity is based on monetary value rather than abstract concepts of love and time. Being generous can take form in different ways and for those we love, we enjoy giving them gifts to show them we are thinking of them and desire for their happiness and making life easier and more enjoyable for them. We have to remind ourselves of these aforementioned feelings when we become overwhelmed, overspend and run out of time for the perfect gift. We have to think about and enjoy the process of gift giving to receive the full benefits of the experience.

 

Five Steps to Enjoy Gift Shopping

1)      Have a plan: Write down names of people and events you would like to buy gifts for this holiday season. Remember attending holiday parties requires formal wear and a hostess gift, so be prepared. Writing down names and potential gift ideas will help you be on the lookout for the items on your daily excursions. This way, you are not rushed into buying last minute gifts and spending more than you had budgeted for.

2)      Track your Purchases: Once you start gift shopping for the people on your list, write down what you have bought for them next to their name. That way, even if your purchase sits in the shopping bag until you are ready to wrap it, you won’t end up buying more. It’s about quality rather than quantity. Include gift packaging with each gift that day if possible.

3)      Sales and Deals: During the holidays, there are certainly many ‘sales’ that we are attracted to, however, shop ahead of time to get the best deals and better gifts. Sales can deter us from our gift goals and end up spending more on items we don’t really need. Think to yourself: would I be looking at/buying this item if it wasn’t on “sale?” Of course it’s a different story, if you wanted to buy a certain item and only happens to be on sale during the holidays.

4)       Presentation is Key: Make your gift stand out by wrapping it and/or presenting it in a beautiful fashion. Gift-giving  as a whole is a thoughtful and selfless process: The feeling of gratitude and thinking of someone else’s affinities, to budgeting, to shopping around and finally presenting it in a beautiful manner. That is why, most people say, it is the ‘thought” that counts more than the actual physical gift. The process is executed in the mind first before it becomes a tangible gift.

5)      Write a Note: Make the recipient feel special by writing a note to them when you give them a gift. A note about what they mean to you as an individual and how you appreciate them. Remember tangible items can only say so much, but your written words will remain with them forever.

 

Having people we love and adore in our lives is the true blessing of any holiday. Sometimes, in our consumer driven society, we become consumed by the products being advertised to us to “show” our love and affection for each other, when in reality, it is us, as humans and individuals and what we say and do every day that show our love and appreciation for each other.