Buying gifts that bring pleasure to both giver and receiver is not as easy or inexpensive (relatively speaking) as it used to be. Today, the kids are filled with “I wants” and “gimmes” long before Christmas and the holiday season.

How can you make the whole process faster, easier and a little less expensive? You can, if you plan and think ahead of those trips to the mall or stores. Involve the whole family! Waiting to go Christmas shopping until the last minute is guaranteed to increase your holiday stress and anxiety.

Try making a list of everyone you’ll be buying gifts for, leaving enough room under each name for the number of gifts you want to give. Remember, to be truly a gift, the thing given should be willingly given with love, affection and respect.

If others are trying to make you feel obligated to give certain things you don’t want (or can’t afford) to give, take a deep breath and say “No.” If you get the old “All the kids are getting it” routine, you can be sure all those parents and grandparents are hearing the same thing! It really is OK to say “no” occasionally. Your children or grandchildren won’t be considered deprived if they don’t get everything on their “I want list.”

You have choices when it comes to cost:

• Reduce the number of gifts you buy, either by cutting some people off your gift list (NOT a good idea unless you do it very carefully and discuss it in advance with the people involved.
• Give one gift per person rather than three or four. I know, that doesn’t work with children, but set a limit of no more than one or two expensive items and three or four cheaper items.
• Give homemade gifts, if you’re into cooking or crafts.
• Agree ahead of time to swap names between family and extended family members.
• Set a per-gift spending limit (and go in together with another family member or friend for a higher priced item).
• Buy gifts throughout the year when they go on sale. Just remember that fashions do change.

Reduce the time you spend on gift buying:

• Purchase as many of your gifts as possible in one place.
• If teens are in line for gifts, consider gift cards to their favorite store.
• Shop earlier in the day and in the season. Stores are likely to be less crowded.
• Share the shopping with a friend by offering to pick up each other’s games or toys if you’re going to different stores.
• Shop by catalog if it’s early enough that delivery won’t arrive after the occasion.

Remember, Christmas is never a good time to introduce a new pet into the household. There is too much excitement and activity going on and too many things around that could cause harm to an animal new to the house. Give a gift certificate to be redeemed after the holidays are over and the decorations put away.

All of the above will help lower the stress level of gathering your gifts.

Wrapping the gifts:

Now that you’ve gotten your gifts together, it’s time to wrap them, unless you had the store do it for you. There are stores that will wrap them free, but you won’t know unless you ask! If the gift is large or awkward to wrap, it might be best to pay a small fee!

Collect all your wrapping gear (paper, tissue paper, ribbons, bows, tape, scissors, pen and gift tags). Consider asking a friend over to share in the task. Two sets of hands make wrapping gifts easier and faster. It’s also much more fun. Take a deep breath and begin. Do it earlier in the day if you have children, then let them wrap the gifts they’re giving later, after they come home from school and have their homework done. You’ll be available to help little hands and solve wrapping problems with them.

Special gifts…

Take time to share some gifts with others. Again, involve your family. It will set a good example and help them remember the season is about giving.

If you have children, encourage them to each give the gift of a new toy for your local toy collection drive. Take them to a store and set a spending limit per child for each gift. Once they’ve made their purchases, take your children to the nearest collection point to drop off the new and unwrapped toys.

Donate needed items to one of your local food pantries for others less fortunate.

A very special gift you can give is the gift of yourself and your family as volunteers for a special cause. Soup kitchens welcome volunteers, as do many nursing homes or senior centers, especially around the holidays. Not only will it make others feel better, it will make you feel better. It will also introduce your children to the benefits of volunteering.

Gifts don’t have to be expensive, but they should be carefully chosen with the recipient in mind. The recipients will be pleased that you cared enough to think about them and their needs (not just wants). Involving your family and helping them learn about the joy of giving from the heart, not just the wallet will help reduce you holiday stress.

See also:
Christmas Dinner with Less Stress
Christmas Decorations with Less Stress