Doesn’t it seem like every year you are so behind on getting all your Christmas shopping done that you end up in a panic? You can’t find the gifts you want and are left with second and third choices, if you are lucky.
Although you tell yourself you will start early next year, by the time you remember that promise you made to self, it’s already too late. This year let’s look at these five reasons to start your Christmas shopping early.
1. Avoid Shipping Delays
During the best of times, postal services and shipping companies are always overwhelmed around the festive season. This is the one time of year that people send gifts to friends and family all over the globe. Unfortunately, added to the overwhelming number of gifts that are getting shipped, there are all those shipments to be expected any time of the year. Also, don’t forget that there are still issues with the supply chain, so deliveries are slower than normal. If you want to have those gifts ready to be wrapped before Christmas Eve, shop early!
2. Finding Special Gifts
Sometimes you are searching for special gifts such as gifts for members of the clergy or family members who have been looking for sacred icons or garden statues. You thought this would be the perfect year to give that very specialised gift, so allow time for it to be shipped to you so that you can wrap and post again if need be. There are lovely and quite reliable religious stores online where you can find any type of sacred item you are looking for. Just be cognisant of the fact that they, too, might be subject to third-party shipping delays, so shop early here as well.
3. Limited Time Offers
If you find coupons and limited time offers for gifts you’d like to give at Christmas, take advantage of them even as early as September. Many of those limited time offers will not be repeated before Christmas and even Black Friday might not compare with the price you can find now. If you see a good deal on a gift you’d like to give, buy it before you lose out.
4. Before It Goes “Out of Stock”
How many times have you finally got around to ordering something online only to get that dreaded “Out of Stock” message? Sometimes you even go so far as to order it, thinking you’ve got it, only to find an email in your inbox a week later that it’s out of stock. That is beyond frustrating, especially if it’s too close to Christmas to find something else.
5. Time to Enjoy the Festive Season Yourself
Finally, if you start early enough and are able to tick off all the gifts on your Christmas shopping list, you just might survive the Christmas holidays this year. Isn’t that what you’ve been longing for all along? The wisest thing you can do is to start shopping early enough so that you can take time to enjoy Christmas but also just ‘in case’ you’ve missed someone. There may still be time to shop…
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