by GeniustoBurn

Created on: November 21, 2010

It may feel early to be talking about Christmas – I hate those reminders that it’s only x days to go (34 today!) but as I am the most organisationally challenged  person in the world, I thought I could help my similarly time / motivation poor brethren with a timely reminder that actually, 34 days isn’t very long....

That’s the trouble, isn’t it? We’re  so used to being bombarded with tinsel and Rudolf deelyboppers from September onwards that we get lulled into a false sense of “Christmas is ages away!” security until it’s suddenly December 20th and the shops are like a glimpse into the seventh circle of hell.

I am lucky in that my family has adopted a foolproof scheme – we all buy our own presents.  This may be unsentimental, but it does mean that we all get what we want. (I’ve taken the attitude that commercialisation is part of Christmas, so we might as well make it work for us.)

Assuming that your family takes a less mercenary view of presents, the next best thing is the wishlist. (I have about ten on Amazon, all carefully categorised. Nerdy, but necessary.)

Where to go:

For stress free shopping, Amazon is always my first port of call – it’s generally the cheapest choice for music, books and DVDs (although it’s worth checking out play.com, greenmetropolis.com, and Asda and Tesco’s websites for a price comparison.) It also sells pretty much everything else, including jewellery, toys, gardening equipment, furniture, food and clothes. (They are taking over the world, I tell you!) The joy of doing all your Christmas shopping with a few clicks of the mouse (either lounging about in your pyjamas, or sneakily, in quiet moments at work) is enjoyably smug-making. And there is no lugging heavy bags all the way home, overheating in shops or being stuck in carpark traffic.

My second favourite website to shop at is etsy.com. This fantastic site (better known in the US although it’s gaining ground rapidly on this side of the pond) features goodies made by individuals; meaning you can magnanimously contribute to someone’s kitchen business – how’s that for seasonal cheer?  You can choose from jewellery, clothes, furnishings ,and paintings, among many others . The variety and home-madeness guarantees you’ll find something a little bit different from the norm.

Magazines always urge you to make your own presents, because apparently people

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