Wow, that came around fast it’s time already to make a start on the Christmas shopping. If you make a start nice and early, well in November, you’ll find that by December you’re all wrapped and ready to go. Unfortunately it’s also the time of year when it’s always cold, wet and very busy. Here is everything you need to know to get through those crows in one piece.

Find a specialist store if you’re after something for a certain sport or hobby. If you have a surfing enthusiast to buy for you need to fond somewhere that specialises in surfboards as this means they’ll be helpful staff who can give you helpful guidance which you might not get in a standard sports shop. After all you don’t really want to be looking round a store you don’t understand when you’re pressed for time.

Before you set off understand you’re not going to be getting everything you need today. There’s no pressure yet and you have plenty of time so pace yourself. If you have one, take your MP3 player with you and have something soothing to listen to. Nothing is guaranteed to push you over the edge quicker than having to listen to the same Christmas carol over and over again. So will screaming kids when you’re trying to find those perfect slippers for your mother in law.

Another helpful trick is to keep a good stash of stocking fillers. Something along the lines of Hoddies for the teens or maybe some scents and bubble baths for the work mates. If you look around you’ll notice things like chocs and alcohol are always on special offer so grab some of these too. This year you won’t be caught out when you get that unexpected gift from the person you forgot about.

When you get home you need to give yourself a good pat on the back. Have a nice bottle of wine or a nice takeaway dinner to help chill you out at the end of the day. Your forward planning and organisation, not to mention your feet, need to be congratulated for the work you’ve done.

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