Christmas is around the corner and its spirit is hitting you in the feels. Frigid air, ginger bread cookies and cozy fireplaces may fill your mind. The holiday time is all fine and dandy until the time arises to start buying gifts. While it may start out fun, you can get worn down trying to figure out the best present for each person you know. If you are dreading buying gifts this Christmas, here are just a few tips on making it easier.
Do a Pollyana
If you have a large group of friends or family, doing a pollyana can much less stressful than giving gifts to everyone. Essentially working as a gift swap, a pollyana is where each person buys a gender neutral gift and then brings it to the pollyana the day it is held. All items are put in the middle of a circle or randomly assigned to participants and each person gets one gift. It takes the pressure off of buying something to please everyone.
Hold a Secret Santa
Slightly similar to the pollyana, a Secret Santa allows you to get away with buying only one gift for one person. It works by writing down the name of each participant on a piece of paper, crumbling it up and then putting it into a box or bag. Once the names are all in and mixed up, each participant gets to choose a name at random. The person listed on their slip is the one that they must buy a gift for, turning gift buying for a whole group of friends and family into just having to get one for a single person.
Use Online Gift Guides
The internet seems to offer everything these days. Now, there are websites out there that even help people pick out holiday gifts. Use online gift buying sites like this to filter through different genders, ages, events, trending ideas and bestsellers to help you find something interesting for your loved ones this Christmas. Many of them even let you purchase the item right through the site so that you don't ever have to leave your computer desk to get the shopping done.
Shop Online
Gift buying guides aside, doing all of your Christmas shopping online can make the task about a thousand times easier. You won't have to deal with traffic, lines, or crazy shoppers in the store. You can order everything from your computer, have it gift wrapped and sent right to your mailbox, ready to pass off to whoever it's for.
Stalk Social Media
While doing a bit of social media stalking can be time consuming and overall, a little creepy, it can really help you figure out what to get your friends and family for Christmas. Pinterest is a great place to start if you want to see what someone may want. Check for Facebook statuses and Instagram posts too as you try to find out what your loved ones would enjoy the most.