Holiday Hustle

It’s Black Friday week, which means the holidays are rapidly approaching and gift giving anxieties are kicking in. Don’t despair. I have some quick tips to help you navigate your holiday shopping in style.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, malls packed with cranky shoppers and budget-conscious frenzied gift givers trying to find the perfect gift, then finally in an act of desperation grabbing the closest cheapest thing.

Holidays can be a frustrating and stressful time, but they don’t have to be!

Every year my clients, friends and family ask, “How do you do it? You always give the perfect gift!”

Giving the perfect gift isn’t really that difficult. You just need to calm down, take a breath and think about the person you are giving the gift to.

A huge mistake many frantic/frustrated gift givers make is buying something that they personally want or like as a gift for someone else. Just because you have a love for David Hasselhoff music doesn’t mean you should give your entire holiday list his CD. Keep that to yourself.

You have to think, “What would the person I am giving this gift to like? What are their interests?”

Gift giving is defiantly an art, but it can be learned.

Let’s practice. Here are four sample “personalities” that can be difficult to select gifts for.
1. The Health Nut/Eco Friendly Shopper. This person goes to yoga religiously, eats healthy and has a passion for the environment. Gift ideas: A tea set and tea from Teavana (choose a sustainable tea that “gives back”). Yoga gear at Lululemon (an amazing yoga-friendly store with clothing, yoga mats and earth-friendly accessories).

2. The Technology Junkie. This person has to have the latest in new technology. Often difficult to shop for because they buy everything as is comes out, leaving little to no room for their prospective gift givers to navigate. This guy drives a gift-giver crazy. Gift ideas: inquire at the Apple store about new items that will be out soon. You can pre-purchase an item before it’s out or get them on a list and give a print out of their “coming soon” gift. Give some headphones with personality. Fashion-up your techie with Skull Candy headphones, unique funky earphones that look super cool. http://www.skullcandy.com/.

3. The Nerd. Has a love for comics, sci-fi, Doctor Who and Star Wars. Biggest mistake most gift givers make when buying for him is trying to change him by buying some chic piece of clothing he’ll never wear. Embrace the geek! There is one amazing Web site that covers it all for this guy. Star Trek pizza cutter? Magic wand TV remote? Tauntaun sleeping bag? You find them all here http://www.thinkgeek.com/.

4. The Foodie. This person has a love for fine foods, wines and cooking. Gift Ideas: Most celebrity chefs have great cookbooks for sale, and many restaurants have “cooking nights” that you can purchase a class for your gift. For the very adventurous gift giver, try giving a wine making class at Grape Expectations your foodie will love it!  http://www.grapeexpectationslasvegas.com/

Once you start really thinking like a true gift giver it’s not that hard. Ideas just start flowing.

Remember:

Don’t pile on all the pressure and stress by trying to do your holiday shopping in one day.

Dress comfortable. Don’t wear heels when you plan on pounding the pavement. Comfy chic is the way to go for marathon shopping.

Shop with a friend. Share the experience, so much more fun.

Take your time. Grab lunch, have a cocktail, enjoy the season.

Fuel up.  Caffeinate. My fav is a pumpkin latte.

Track it! Keep a list of who you need gifts for, the amount you want to spend, and any ideas you might have for the gift.

Follow my shopping tips and you’ll be a professional gift giver in no time.

Keep up with the best Black Friday sales at http://www.blackfriday.info.

For more of Christie Moeller’s shopping tips, visit http://icanstyleu.com/blog/?p=1980. You can sign up for her newsletter, enter contests and more.

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