Is it a Good Idea to Leave Christmas Shopping until the Last Minute

February 7, 2010 by Guest

When I was younger I paid little attention to Christmas shopping and would always leave it until the very last minute. These days I am far better prepared, carrying out most of my Christmas gift buying online.

But when I was a young man I would always leave my Christmas shopping until the eleventh hour on Christmas eve when most shops had already closed. Often I’d leave it so late that the only place left open at that time on Christmas eve was our local all night garage.

This led to some inventive and memorable Christmas gifts. I remember one year in which my brother generously gave me a half eaten kebab and I gave him a sack of barbecue charcoal. That was the same year that my mum received a pair of wiper blades for a Ford Mondeo (although she drove a Volkswagen) and a box full of car air fresheners. This was because I had left myself no options after spending the day drinking with friends rather than facing the crowds in the local shopping mall.

One of the potential advantages of last minute Christmas shopping is the chance of finding some great bargains. The economic downturn means that lots of people are tightening their belts and not spending as much so shops may be left with some cheap last minute bargains.

On the downside, you may be unlucky and find that the shelves are empty and you are forced to get what you can from the nearest all-night garage.

One way to do away with the Christmas shopping headache is to simply not do any. Take all your Christmas gift buying money and don’t waste it on gifts that people don’t really want and donate it to a charity. Or let those to whom you would have given a gift choose a charity for your donations. After all, Christmas is about giving and not receiving so it’s good to give to those who would benefit most from your generosity.

BTW - for some great Christmas gift ideas pay a visit to raymears.com. You’ll find some of the best quality outdoor clothing available online along with all those neat gizmos and gadgets used buy Ray in his TV series. And the Ray Mears DVDs and Books which would make ideal Christmas gifts for any lover of the outdoors.