If you are not starting your Christmas shopping already, how do you do it?

[WaltonOnNaze]

I always start my shopping in the post Christmas sales and have just done an audit and have at least half the stocking stuff now from that. I have three kids so need lots of sticking fillers, plus two of them have December birthdays. I also need to give their GPs a list of ideas. I am just wondering if this is not you - and my friends take the mickey out of me so I know I am the odd one - how do you do it? Do you get in a panic come Nov/Dec then go to the shops and do it all in one day? I don't know I would find a stocking full of stuff for each kid if I had the pressure of doing it in a short amount of time.

Always start in November. Even when they were little. Youngest's birthday is end of September so won't even think about Christmas until after that.

I think buying now to put away, for me, runs the risk that a) I will forget or b) they buy the item themselves and it would be too late to return it. I know even as an adult, if someone wanted to buy something for me now and put it away, they would know what I like but there is a high chance I would buy it myself long before Christmas.

I do save for Christmas though.

Buying gifts you know will be loved? Are you thinking people are buying generic hand lotion and a Nivea lip balm set? Why wouldn't you assume we are buying well thought out gifts we know will be loved by the recipient?

This year, my Mum gave me a rare, vintage oo gauge steam train she knew I'd love. She saw it in a charity shop last March. How is that a waste?

How can you possibly know what anyone will like a year ahead? I find that baffling. DD is changing her interests all the time, I do Christmas shopping from October onwards, it’s not difficult. I shop mostly online and can do over a few weeks. Everyone in our family has wish lists for ideas.

I buy clothes ahead in sales eg Christmas jumpers/pyjamas but rarely and presents.

I usually start buying bits and bobs in from September, but this year if I see something that is good for someone I will purchase it there and then. Hoping it makes life a bit easier lol 😆

I don't start buying presents until about September as so many people change their mind about what they like

I start after the first Sunday in Advent.

I try to reflect what is 'new' with the age of recipient. So, one of our godson's got the new book 'Gaspard's Christmas' with a Gaspard toy. Another godson got The Dark Is Rising book because of the new BBC World Service drama.

I do the much maligned poem for our DC so just need to think of 4 gifts and I try to buy most of them second-hand. So, DD1 got a guitar from Marketplace as her 'need'. Grandparents add to DC savings with a token gift like a magazine subscription or jigsaw puzzle.

Stockings are a mix of apple, satsuma, sugar mice, choc coins, bath bomb/crayons/Tinti, Little Gems book, Guide/Scout Christmas badges and ornament, seasonal peg doll, a wee cuddly toy, YOTO card and other wee things that might reflect the year we have had. So, DD1 is into Harry Potter and I popped in Trivia Cards, DD2 is into Matilda so I popped in a card game.

The gifts are a small part of Christmas. I don't see the point in spending lots or getting stressed. It's about spending time together for the 12 days of the festival for us.

I've never knowingly bought a Christmas present or stocking filler before late November/early December

Surely almost everyone has a birthday between now and Christmas! That's my next thing to buy for. I would buy things early if I saw something particularly special but otherwise I wouldn't start looking before October. If I bought this early I would struggle to wait to give it to them!

How many hours do you spend actually shopping? Because I am sure you could do more in the later months if you wanted to.

Ignore people making fun of you, there's nothing wrong with your way, but most people don't.

I personally start in the summer holidays. I like to have a decent amount of time to browse.

I buy presents in December although we have a small family.

I buy wrapping paper, bow things, crackers, paper napkins and Christmas candles after Christmas.

It's a couple of days shopping, why do you need to start almost an entire year early?!

I would have no idea in January what people would want in December unless I just random stuff for the sake of it

I start thinking about it around October and shop from November. My kids interests change within months and I want to get stuff they'll actually like, not generic 'stuff'. My friends who start early tend to buy generic gift type items ime. Maybe when the DC are older and things are more fixed it'll be a bit more acros the year as I see things?

I enjoy the shopping and planning in the lead up

Why are the only options start in January or panic in December?
Anyway, to answer your question, it might depend how big the stocking is. We do maybe 6 smallish things in stocking plus a main present. Starting looking around from November onwards leaves loads of time to look out for nice things that fit current interests.

I can't understand how you would know what you want this far out, especially for kids. My two only decide what they want a few weeks before...if I bought now based on what they like now they would have completely changed their mind.

Same for adults. I don't even know what I want in 11 months time let alone everyone else.

I tend to start early September but this year I will pick up bits and pieces as I see them

It's easier for me. Mine are 24 and 16 so I can buy and put aside make up / perfume / clothes.

I've already bought expensive sheets of wrapping paper - it would have cost me £58 before Christmas, I picked it up yesterday for £1.40.

I also have £25 reed diffusers which I got for £1 each and the liberty fragrance advent calendar which I got for £55 instead of £275

So I suppose actually I've started already 😀

No. I prefer to start in October, as their tastes/interests change throughout the year. When they're small it's easy to buy anything, because they're happy with most stuff. However when they're older they tend to ask for specific things, that's in fashion at the time. I wouldn't want to waste money on stuff they don't want.

ItisallPooh
I have the issue of how I give one child a Santa present that finally arrived on the 28th. I had ordered it in November but didn't arrive on time.

I'm thinking I might wrap it and put it in the garden, saying it must have fallen from the sleigh

S/he has moved on from Christmas. Can you give it for their birthday? Or is their birthday much later in year & they will grow out of that type of game/book/item?
If there is a risk of them being at a different age and stage of development by the time of their birthday, is there another special day within next few months where each child could be given a gift ? E. G. You could give each child a gift & smaller amount of chocolate for Easter?

I’m similar to you OP. 3 dcs so I buy stocking stuff as I see it throughout the year, it spreads the cost. I don’t buy tat so get nice pen sets / stationery / books / socks etc if I see them at a bargain price. Doesn’t mean I always see things, I might not start until October time, but generally I do.

It works for me, spreads the cost and it’s one job done. I get sweets / chocs closer to Christmas. Don’t understand why it would bother anybody though. There are plenty of threads on here in Nov / Dec of people wanting ideas for stocking fillers. It wouldn’t cross my mind to say you should spread it throughout the year like I do. I’m just happy to give ideas.

Yes to answer questions, and add more info,
but not justify myself as really no need. Three kids under 12. I buy stocking gifts from Jan sales onwards. They are not tat but are generic. Eg I got some hype notebooks and folders in hype sale (which I saw about on other thread). I’d be flabbergasted if they didn’t still want stationary next year but if Hype suddenly becomes uncool in this house I will put them in my present cupboard for class or cousin birthdays instead. Also hype snoods. Then picked up some cool desktoy magnet things in b&m for stockings too. They may have a new version for next Christmas but buying now means that when they go Christmas shopping themselves they won’t see it in the shop and buy for each other (each kid also buys for each other kid and for the parents which they love doing. We usually give them a budget of £3-4 per gift. For example this year I got a toblerone from one, a hairbrush from another (to replace broken one) and earrings from the third. Not saying everyone should do this just we did it as helps them learn about the joy of giving as well as receiving.)

also have some v cool pencils that look like twigs from Tiger - am sure they will like them next year too. And saw a reduced reusable/washable make up remover pad set in Superdrug that dd will like unless she has complete personality change by then so picked those up too.

Stocking chocolates I would buy in supermarket nearer time. Re big gifts - I get these nearer time unless I see things I think they will like regardless of age. Eg last year I bought them board games in the sale. This year I have found some fab sale puzzle game things on the happy puzzle company (also mentioned on another thread) and have got those too.

This year I got Christmas jumpers and pyjamas on sale but not seen anything good this time round plus think the ones they have likely to still fit.

God I'm so over Christmas by January, I love it, but the idea of buying now for the following year is a big fat nope from me

But it's less than 2 weeks since Xmas and you've done half the stocking stuff so of course you could fit it in nearer the time.

I usually start after my youngest birthday which is end of September.

You aren’t the only one
I’ve done my birthdays for the year and made a decent start on Xmas.

I have three DC aged 14, 10 and 4 and I do tend to plan and prepare well in advance for their gifts.

I have Amazon wish lists for each of them which I continuously add to or take things off throughout the year according to things they're into at the time, things they mention in passing, ideas I have or things I hear about that may get be of interest to them. These can be big gifts or stocking fillers....I just chuck them on the wish list so I don't forget about them. I don't generally buy anything until about September though... once summer is over and the kids are back at school.

By September I'm fairly confident that their tastes and interests aren't going to change that much and there are also bargains to be had in post-summer sales so that is when I start picking bits and pieces up. I have learnt though that I need to reserve a bit of their budget for December because my girls in particular flip-flip a bit about what they'd like and throw a couple of curve balls so I tend to allow for one medium size present and a couple of stocking fillers to be left until the 'last minute'!

I’ve always just got everything in November/December unless it’s something that I know will take longer to arrive or when the kids were younger, something that might sell out. I’ve always ordered most of it online anyway, I can’t understand how you think people are in a panic just because they do it all within the last month or two before Xmas. I just do the orders online and wait for delivery. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Then pick a few bits up as I see them when out shopping.