Santa’s Little Helpers
POSTED 21.12.2011 @ 10:41
I adore Christmas. It’s my favourite time of year, the decorations, the lights, the carols. I live for it. Last year leading up to the big day I did the whole 12 days of Christmas thing for my boyfriend, complete with sweet baked goods and personalised notes.
But this year? I just don’t have the time. Blame it on moving cities and adjusting to full time work, but at the end of day I’m more interested in my couch and a glass of vino than hitting the stores with hordes of shoppers.
But I’m not going to let my busy schedule take away my Christmas cheer. This year I’m going in with a plan of attack. My Christmas shopping is going to be more organised than a Kikki.K store. My mission: to go shopping just once and be in and out in as little time as possible.
There are a few key things to remember when tackling shopping with military-like precision:
1. Department stores are your friend. As are shopping centres, so long as you know where you are going. Having to spend an hour searching for your car with full arms does not a merry shopping experience make. So if you are venturing into new territory be sure to go prepared, try an app that allows you to check in the position of your car and then guide you back to its location. Try Take Me To My Car, free from apple.com/au/itunes.
2. A little preparation goes a long way. Visit one website, type in who you’re buying for and your budget and be presented with a gallery full of ideas. Genius. I picked out all my presents at westfield.com.au (they have over 150 stores) in under an hour and can either make the purchase online or hit the ground running once I get in store.
3. Embrace outsourcing. Our Beauty and Lifestyle Assistant Lisa has scored herself some serious girlfriend brownie points shopping on mrporter.com. “They come wrapped in beautiful, man-friendly packaging, and the personalised labels take the whole gifting thing to the next level”. And if you opt for international express, you’ll have your parcel in three days flat. Perfect for last minute shoppers.
4. Don’t underestimate the gift card. Australia Post stock a giant range with everything from The Good Guys, Mitre 10, Peter Alexander, Sportsgirl and Country Road, all in the place you visit to pay your electricity bill. If shopping from the comfort of your own desk is more appealing, try giftvouchers.com and giftcardstore.com.au for every kind of gift card you can think of. Then take a leaf out Martha Stewart’s book and pop it into an old book or a box of Christmas candy to add an element of mystery under the Christmas tree.
Happy shopping!
Alexandra Tobin, Pics & Production Coordinator