The popularity of Cyber Monday goes to show that online gift buying is the way of the future. Holiday season is stressful enough and the idea of sitting in traffic, waiting in lines, fighting through hoards of people in the mall and breaking a sweat under pounds of shopping bags isn't really that exciting anymore. Now, shopping in bed, dressed in pajamas, with one hand on the keyboard and the other in a bag of chips sounds way more appealing. Plus, you can get the gifts pre-wrapped and shipped right to your door. If the month of December is starting to sound a whole lot less hectic, here are some top online resources that you can use to make Christmas much easier this year.
Sites That Organize Secret Santa
Organizing a Secret Santa can actually make gift buying a whole lot easier this Christmas. However, what if organizing the Secret Santa could be made easier too. Instead of writing everyone's name on a piece of paper, tearing them up, picking them out of a hat and facilitating the entire process, you can use the fabulous world of the internet to do it for you. Websites like Drawnames.com will complete the entire Secret Santa process for you with only the email addresses of those involved. The site is free and it will allow you to set price limits, avoid drawing your own name and allow everyone involved to make their own wish list. Once a name is generated for you, that person's wish list will show up with links to what they would like to have so that you can easily buy it online. Other websites like Secretsanta.com will run the show of your next Secret Santa, keeping everything in order, emailing all participants, creating a customized page, and creating exclusions.
Sites That Provide Valuable Gift Ideas
Coming up with ideas for gifts can actually be a huge hassle. If you are the type that would rather surprise your friends and family than look at their wish lists, there are quite a few sites out there that can help you generate ideas. Start with Amazon as they show lists of best sellers and rankings while also making suggestions for similar products that other people have purchased. Other websites will provide niche ideas that allow you to customize your gifts if you are the type who likes unique over store bought. Canvasdiscount.com specializes in using your photos to turn ordinary objects like pillows and mugs into personalized gifts. They offer canvas prints from your high quality photos as well as cushions, phone cases, mouse pads and even puzzles. Plus, the company ships the products in 24 hours, ready to hang so you won't have to worry about it being too late to buy a gift. Other sites like Gifts.com breaks down each holiday into categories as well as specializes for gender and age to help you come up with ideas.
Sites That Make Shareable Wish Lists
Making wish lists can be immensely helpful for both the gift giver and the receiver. They ensure that the maker gets what they actually want and don't have to deal with returning items while the giver doesn't have to stress over what to buy. Instead of writing one out and sending it to everyone you know, there are websites that actually manage these shareable lists for you. Sites like Gifster.com allow people to make their own digital wish list and email it to friends. Working like a registry, the maker can actually keep the wish list and reuse it for birthdays and other holidays until they have gotten everything they've listed.
Sites That Let Your Kids Talk to Santa
If you have kids, they are probably bugging you about Santa and their presents for the entire month of December. They may be worrying if they are on the naughty or nice list and if Santa knows what presents they really want the most this year. If you want to free up some of your time from being the middle man between your kids and the man in red, sign up for websites like Santachats.com. Put your kids in front of the computer and let them chat with Santa all they want while getting back valid and appropriate responses. You can actually prepare for the holiday while they are preoccupied.
Sites That Will Make & Send Your Cards
Shopping and writing out Christmas cards can be one of the most tedious parts of the holiday. Plus, once you've gotten them written, you will have to deal with stamps and then the post office. Many times, the cards just get thrown away, ending up to be a complete waste of time. Instead, use online Christmas cards that can be sent by email instead. Websites like Bluemountain.com will let you design and send e-cards this Christmas to save you a whole lot of time and money.
Don't let the magic of Christmas get lost in all of the stress that the holiday tends to bring. Free up your time by using some of the online innovations out there that are making life just a little bit easier.