Shopping itself is generally everyone’s worst nightmare. If you are one of those people who enjoy fighting crowds, rifling through bins and waiting in line for hours, you are a rare breed. If you’re smart, the only seasonal shopping you’ll need to do is for gift wrap and ornaments and here’s why. Gift wrap, gift tags, bows and ornaments all go on sale on December 26th. Every store in America wants to unload its holiday surplus and they want to do it quickly. Most of their after-Christmas sales begin at 7am on the day after Christmas. This is the one day of the year when it pays to not be lazy. If you’re energetic enough to get an early start, you can purchase all of your coming year’s Christmas supplies at a fraction of what they would cost on December 24th. So remember that early morning on December 26th is the time to buy all your gift wrapping needs. It is also an excellent opportunity to purchase your Christmas Cards, stationery, lights and ornaments at a fraction of their usual cost.
Don't Forget to Write
Correspondence has become a huge, and very expensive, part of the holidays. There are Christmas Cards, specialty papers for those holiday letters, invitations for those holiday parties and thank you cards for all those gifts you’ll receive. Just like shopping, the earlier you start, the better off you’ll be when it comes to your correspondence.
Update Your Address Book
Along with that gift list you’ll be creating and saving on your computer, you’ll want to create an address list. If you start it early and maintain it throughout the year, you won’t have the last minute headache of trying to find out what Aunt Marjorie’s new address is in Boca Raton. Whenever a friend or family member changes their address, simply make the appropriate changes on your address list and it will be ready for holiday correspondence when you are.