Christmas (at least in America) has become way over-commercialized.\u00a0 For many people the season seems to be more about buying, giving, and receiving of gifts than celebrating Jesus birth.\u00a0 But whether you enjoy giving the perfect gift to a loved one or consider the traditional exchanging of gifts to be an burdensome societal expectation (or worse), odds are you\u2019re planning to give someone a gift this Christmas.<\/p>\n
As of today you\u2019ve got 14 shopping days left before Christmas.\u00a0 And you probably still have some Christmas shopping left to do.\u00a0 (Or all of it if you\u2019re like me.)\u00a0 Shopping online can be a great way to avoid the crowds and long check-out lines as well as a great way to save time and money.\u00a0 Here are 7 tips to help you do just that.<\/p>\n
1) Research.\u00a0<\/strong> Even if you\u2019re still not comfortable enough to send your credit card info through cyberspace, at the very least you can research your Christmas purchases online.\u00a0 Read reviews, select the brand and model you want, find out what stores carry it.\u00a0 That way when you go shopping, you know exactly what you want and you can get in and out of the store ASAP.<\/p>\n 2) Ship to your destination.<\/strong>\u00a0 If you\u2019re traveling for Christmas and planning to bring gifts with you, shop online and have the items shipped to the family and friends you\u2019ll be visiting.\u00a0 That will save you the hassle and luggage space of having to take it with you.<\/p>\n 3) Check out online discounters.\u00a0<\/strong> There are a lot of things you can purchase online for well below retail prices.\u00a0 Check out sites like Woot<\/a> and Overstock<\/a>.\u00a0 The trick is they don\u2019t always have what you want in stock, so you\u2019ve got to check them regularly and be ready to buy on a moment\u2019s notice.<\/p>\n 4) Try eBay.<\/strong>\u00a0 You can find great deals on all kinds of things on eBay.\u00a0 My wife has become an eBay maniac this Christmas season.\u00a0 There are some tricks to winning auctions at the best possible price, which you learn from experience.\u00a0 If you do shop on eBay, pay particular attention to the product description to be sure you are really bidding on what you think you\u2019re bidding on.\u00a0 Also, be sure to check out the sellers ratings to be sure you\u2019re dealing with someone with a good reputation.<\/p>\n 5) Give a personalized gift.<\/strong>\u00a0 Got people on your list that are hard to shop for?\u00a0 Give one-of-a-kind personalized gifts like a Christmas ornament with a photo of the grandkids on it, a jersey with the person\u2019s name on the back, or my personal favorite the personalized street sign.\u00a0 (Now all I need is for someone to buy me the Porche).\u00a0 There are a number of sites online where you can order personalized gifts \u2013 just type in the name or text you want on the gift or upload a photo.\u00a0 It\u2019s easy and unique.\u00a0 Just search \u201cpersonalized Christmas gifts.\u201d<\/p>\n 6) Manage your Christmas list online.<\/strong>\u00a0 We see a lot of family on Christmas, so this time of year my wife and I are always being asked what we\u2019d like for Christmas and what our 3 children want for Christmas.\u00a0 Usually my wife gives me a list and I give her a list and then we act as each others list managers, giving family members ideas, asking them to let us know what they\u2019re getting for our spouse, and trying to avoid 2 people getting the same gift.\u00a0 If you\u2019re like me, then the idea of an online gift Christmas gift registry may have some appeal.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t used any, so I don\u2019t want to recommend one specifically but you can find several if you search for \u201conline gift list manager.\u201d<\/p>\n 7) Give the gift of hope.\u00a0<\/strong> Many children around the world will get no gifts this Christmas.\u00a0 Many Christian relief organizations like Compassion International<\/a> have Christmas gift programs.\u00a0 Better yet, begin sponsoring a child.<\/p>\n How much of your Christmas shopping are you doing online this year?\u00a0 Got any more tips?<\/p>\n