Let The Christmas Preparations Begin!!!

It’s amazing to think that it is November 2010 already! Father Christmas is coming any day now and the shopping centres are all getting ready to hit us with their best gift ideas, stocking fillers and have-to-haves for under the tree.

It’s a good time to think about preparing for the season and the holidays which will be here before you know it!

Christmas shopping...

According to a recent study by Roy Morgan Research, around 60 per cent of Australians dislike Christmas shopping, just 20 per cent plan their shopping expeditions, and the majority of us (nearly 75 per cent) often come home without a single purchase for our efforts. Stress reduction strategies for successful Christmas shopping include:
• Make a list of all the gifts you wish to buy before you go shopping. If you wait for inspiration to strike, you could be wandering aimlessly around the shopping centre for hours.
• Buy a few extras, such as chocolates, just in case you forget somebody or you have unexpected guests bearing gifts.
• If possible, do your Christmas shopping early - in the first week of December or even in November (that means start NOW girls!!). Some well-organised people do their Christmas shopping gradually over the course of the year, starting with the post-Christmas sales.
• Keep a Christmas list on you all the time as you may see lovely gifts when popping to a chemist one night!
Part info taken from Better Health Channel

Try not to fall for the classic sales speels that are said. “This is the last one”…”It goes back to full price tomorrow”…”I can’t hold it, you have to take it now”.. Keep in mind the stores are all competing for your business and they are also competing with on-line shopping this year more than ever. This is good news as competition means more bargains for you and hopefully better customer service than ever. Bargains are everywhere but watch out for your spending as these may be bargains but they STILL cost money!!

Let us know of any business that treats you well despite the hectic season so we can contact them for recognition and Female Friendly™ Accreditation. There are women everywhere looking for some happy salespeople this time of year to relieve the pressure of shopping and services. Start now so your nearly done before school holidays begin and the last minute rush starts. This will help you to enjoy Christmas and hopefully relieve some of the pressure that builds before Christmas Morning!

And for all those parents out there, on behalf of your children, I want to ask that you sneak them out of school one day before the crowded holidays and spend a day in the city visiting Father Christmas making memories that they, or you, will cherish forever. Those little faces won’t always light up when they see funny mirrors, fairy floss, elves or twinkly lights and before you know it they will be all grown up and ‘too cool’ to stand for a photo with a giant rocking horse! So take the time to look into the faces of loved ones as the silly season starts and don’t let the shopping bug distract you from what Christmas is all about!