It’s not that you forgot to do your Christmas shopping - presents are far too important to forget.
It’s just that there was the nativity to organise and then carols at the nursing home. And then there was the call from Ofsted just before the end of term.
All of those things combined have led to the dire situation you find yourself in now: standing in the middle of a crowded shopping centre at 5pm on the Friday before Christmas, without even a scrap of wrapping paper to your name.
Where do you start when you’re buying all your presents at this late hour?
Never fear: Christmas shopping is something of a special talent of mine. Here are my tips for getting everything bought, wrapped and gifted in plenty of time for the big day.
Regift
The regift is a dream come true for the lazy shopper; it’s the perfect “here’s one I made earlier” present.
Each year for Christmas, you are bound to receive a gift or two that you are never going to use. Perhaps it’s a scarf that’s totally not to your taste, or a book that you have two copies of already.
Rather than carting these things off to the charity shop, put them aside and save them for the following year, when you can rewrap them and give them out to people who might enjoy them more than you.
Just make sure that you keep a note of who the gift came from in the first place, so you don’t inadvertently return it to them. Nobody wants to actually know that they’re receiving a hand-me-down…
Give ‘experience’ gifts
If you can’t face the stress of the shops, online shopping is definitely your best friend. But this close to Christmas, you are really cutting it fine to have anything sent to you in time.
The solution? Order “experience” gifts that don’t need to be physically sent to you. Vouchers can feel like a cop-out, but planning an outing for a loved one is far more personal.
Reserve a table to take mum for a fancy afternoon tea; buy tickets for that big-name musical your friend has been dying to see; or book a spot in a Mexican cookery class for your cousin who just came back from a holiday in Cancun.
Print out the details and hand them over inside a Christmas card. Sorted.
Get baking
A handmade gift really shows that you care…and nobody will ever know that it’s actually because you ran out of time to go shopping.
Don’t worry if you aren’t a talented crafter - get yourself in the kitchen and start cooking up some presents.
A quick Google search will deliver plenty of festive recipes for you to try. Jams and preserves make lovely Christmas gifts, and gingerbread is also a great option - it’s easy to make and keeps for ages in an airtight container.
For more perishable cakes and biscuits, simply freeze them on the day you make them, ready to defrost and wrap up the night before Christmas.
Outsource
If you do decide to brave the shopping centre, get there early and take a list of exactly what you need. Bring your partner or a family member to help - someone efficient, there’s no room for dawdlers here - and divvy up the list between you.
And the outsourcing needn’t stop there. If you have children, set them to work wrapping the family presents once you’ve bought them. It doesn’t matter if the kids do a good job or not. Simply add a label to the resulting mess that reads: “Wrapped for you by [child’s name]”.
Your relatives will be charmed. And you’ll get to spend Christmas Eve with a glass of mulled wine and your feet up in front of that BBC drama you’ve been looking forward to all week. Cheers!
