How to Shop all Year Round for Christmas Gifts

A Christmas post in March might be a little unusual, but I’m giving it a go anyhow. I truly love buying gifts for people, but Christmas and holiday gifts became my least favourite ones to buy. The holidays season always seems to come with pressure to buy gifts and various gift giving obligations that that take the fun out of it.

I actually boycotted buying gifts for a few years because I didn’t want to just be a consumer. Eventually I found a way to enjoy giving gifts again and I did that by shopping all year round. This not only helps make gift giving fun, but also has a number of other benefits!

Reasons to Shop Year Round for Gifts

There are so many reasons to shop for gifts year round, but here are a few to think about:

1. You can save money. Buying all year round means that you can purchase items when they are on sale. It gives you more time to comparison shop, watch for price changes, and confidently buy the gift at the lowest price. The holiday season can come with some serious impulse shopping when that obligatory gift purchase comes up, but shopping all year can help curb those impulse buys which also will save you money.

2. You can reduce your stress. Buying presents all year round can decrease your stress over the holidays because your gifts are already purchased. There are no “what do I get this person worries” because you’ve already got it!

3. You can increase your joy. If you’re like me and love giving gifts, you can enjoy the process of buying gifts all year round along with the anticipation of eventually giving the gift. Taking the seasonal present buying pressure out of the equation means you can pause and enjoy the process.

4. You can invest in more thoughtful gifts. When you take the last minute and seasonal pressures out of gift buying, this gives you more time to plan for intentional gifts filled with meaning and thoughtfulness.

5. You can save the planet from wasteful gifts. Buying more intentional gifts means buying less wasteful, only-going-to-be-used-once type gifts. Taking the time to buy presents that will be used and enjoyed for a long time–or investing in an experience gift that has no waste–decreases your footprint on this planet.

6. You can have more time to focus on family. The holiday season is often filled with an abundance of things to go, parties to go to, and family gatherings. Having your gift buying finished by the time the holidays arrive, means that you have more time to focus on your family and loved ones.

How to successfully shop for gifts all year

Here are some tips and tricks for making shopping all year a success.

Take notes!

Whenever your loved one mentions something they might like, write it down. Now I don’t mean focus on every thing they say because we all say we want things on a whim that we don’t care much about next week. But if you make notes of things they’ve been searching for or something nostalgic that would be meaningful, these notes can result in some pretty special gifts.

Keep in mind gifts don’t have to be “things”. Take notes on a play they’ve always wanted to see or an experience they want to have. There may be promotions on these things throughout the year.

Have a “gift box”

Or have a dedicated spot to store your gifts. Don’t find “great hiding places” that you may or may not find again. One central place where you can keep track of what you’ve purchased is important. Since we love stockings in our house, I keep a separate small bag for each person so I know how many stocking stuffers I’ve accumulated–those are easy things to lose track of!

Visit markets and small businesses

Shopping small businesses, local artisans, and supporting entrepreneurs is great for communities. Whenever I see a market or a unique small business, I love to stop in and see what treasures I can find. Thrift stores and antique malls are just as great for this. These places are treasure troves for one of a kind gifts that can be really special. They are also great places to look for that person that has everything.

Keep track!

Whether it’s a notebook or a spreadsheet or a gift bag per person, it is helpful to keep track of the gifts you are buying. Shopping year round can get out of hand if you aren’t paying attention to what you have. The idea isn’t to buy a lot of things, but to buy things with value and meaning. It can also be useful to track your spending so you don’t go over your budget.

Keep your loved ones top of mind

My friend knows me so well now that any time we are in a unique shopping situation I’m asked “is that for Christmas?” It is so fun to think of people I care about and what might bring them joy or carry meaning for them.

Setting goals for shopping year round

It can be easy to get lost in the shopping chaos that is seasonal shopping. Add in shopping all year round and it’s still possible to get lost in it all. I find shopping all year helps me maintain the joy in gift giving. I dislike buying things simply for the sake of giving a gift.

Shopping year round does not mean buying more, though. This is where it might be good to set goals and buying parameters. The goal is to find meaningful gifts for reasonable prices. Shopping for gifts all year really can help save money, but it won’t if you lose track of what you’ve purchased or go over budget.

I hope you’ve gotten some ideas for how to shop all year for your Christmas gifts, save some money, and wow your loved ones with truly special gifts.

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