Sunday 22 November 2015

How to present shop this season!

Hi all,

Today is the 22nd November and I am over halfway done with my Christmas shopping! 

I have just had my glitter smash nails painted by my mum; have been listening to Glee Christmas and Christmas Hits albums on Spotify for the last week and am fully embracing this time of year! 

But I didn't start shopping until 2 weeks ago when; on a very rainy day may I add; I went to Liberty of London to get my eyebrows done and got swept up in the moment and bought my first three Christmas gifts!

For those of you who want to see them the only one I can show you is my ornament for the tree. This is my gift to my family and is of one of the kittens we have recently started looking after and is soo cute! (Comparison pics below)
He was about £10 (decoration not the real thing) and if you want to buy a pretty decoration for someone special or of something specific then I recommend Liberty (and I think it has the best Christmas department this year although I can only compare to Selfridges which wasn't as good). 

But this post isn't about what to buy - it's about how to tackle the shops at this time of year! 

My first tip is shop where you want to shop if you are shopping in real life! So I was in Liberty to get my eyebrows done, not to shop, but it was through my own curiosity that I actually found some great gifts for my nearest and dearest. And it meant I was relaxed, happy and I also treated myself too so I could feel like I was joining in!

As soon as it stopped being fun I went home. And that's the next tip - take breaks for drinks or food and stop when you can't stand it anymore. If you try to do it all on one day - I'm talking to you 24th December shoppers - then every year you'll dread and hate it - but a little bit of early prep and a happy bunny you'll be. 

Along the lines of early prep is knowing the person you are buying for really well and then keep your eyes and ears out for stuff they mention they want. I pride myself on trying to get really good gifts for people that I know really well and it means I'm usually planning their presents from mid November or before. It means you have a rough idea of what to get them where and then you don't waste time and energy hunting as time ticks closer to the big day.

If you can get what you want online then do that and take the stress and often cost off of your shoulders (just give plenty of time for delivery and do click and collect if you are worried). If you can't then target shop and don't just trawl round the shops - make the day fun for yourself, bringing a best friend usually helps for moral support! 

And my last tip is really an extension of the others - take your time and buy within your budget. People tend to find this time of year stressful in just about every way; from cost to strain on families around the Christmas dinner table. But a long run up will allow that to be smoothed somewhat and leave the stress to what you'll watch on the TV and who wins Monopoly. 

I hope you all have a fabulous and safe Christmas/Holiday time and I will post my latest haul next so you can have some ideas of stuff I love that may inspire you. 

Luv,

Amber xx

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