It’s that time of year again -  time to begin making plans for Christmas. 

In almost every store you enter, they’ve already decorated for Christmas with their seasonal isles full.  The years just fly by quicker all the time, it seems. 

NOW is an ideal time to have a grasp on things and beat the annual Christmas craze.  Do your shopping now so during the Christmas rush, you’ll be able to sit back and enjoy the Christmas season.

Start a new tradition this year.  Get organized and get your gift shopping done early, so when Christmas arrives you can enjoy sitting around the fire with family and friends.  I committed to doing this last year and it worked out great. 

Over the past few years, going shopping with friends, I’ve picked up some helpful pointers.  Last year, after moving away, I was on my own so I decided to do something different.  

I don’t like buying just any old gift and putting a name tag on it - just so I can say I got someone something.  For me, it has to have some thought and meaning behind it.  With that said, I’m going to share some tips on favorite gifts I’ve given as well as received.

Gift certificates, although common are one of my favorite.  They are really quite versatile.  Most stores offer them these days and you can choose from almost any amount depending on your budget.  The only downside of a gift certificate is that the receiver will know the amount spent on their gift.

Another great gift option is a gift album.  These have become extremely popular.  The gifts from a gift album can be redeemed via the internet, postal service or telephone order. Some albums are geared towards a specific gender, age group or budget.  Give the gift album and they get to choose their own gift.  Gift albums even exist for mini-vacations.  You get to choose how the album will be targeted.  Although similar to a gift certificate in that the recipient will be able to choose their own gift, with this they won’t what your gift giving budget was.  The item(s) they choose will be shipped directly to them, free of charge.

Another great item is Gift baskets.  I’m hooked on them!  You can personalize this gift for any age, gender or budget.  If you have someone on your list with a favorite hobby, create a basket made especially for them.  Or perhaps you want to keep it safe, maybe you don’t know what they prefer.  Go with a gift basket filled with a variety of goodies ranging anywhere from chocolate, coffee, chips, gourmet crackers and jelly-everybody likes food!  The options are absolutely endless.

But far and above any other place I like to shop for Christmas presents is eBay. I can find anything there. If you plan on getting the item on time you need to start shopping now. It takes time for the auction to end and for the item to be sent. So get busy.

All of these options have made my gift shopping much less time consuming. They can all be done online or in your hometown.  I feel good about the time I’m saving, and the gifts I’m giving are special for each and everyone on my list.