Hey everyone, guess who’s back? It’s that time of year again. The snow is falling, children are writing their Christmas wish lists, and your weird cousins are planning to drop by at the most inconvenient time to spend the night.

This week I want to talk about the most grueling, the most painful, and the most stressful part of the holiday season…..Christmas shopping.

Now I know that it can be hard, trying to find the perfect gift for literally everybody and their mother while trying not to break the bank.

So just read on to find out where and how to shop to get great gifts at a great price.

Try holding a “Secret Santa”

The rules are simple. Just have all of your friends and family members write down their names and what they want for Christmas on a sheet of paper. Have them fold the paper and place it in a hat (or whatever you can find to store the pages). Then have everyone take out a page. This will assign each individual a person and a set of gifts required. If you want to keep the gifts cheap, put a limit on what each person is allowed to spend, to get or both.  That way not everyone is responsible for purchasing a gift for each person in the family.

If holding a “Secret Santa” isn’t exactly your cup of tea then just follow some of the guidelines below.

What’s the“Perfect Gift”

• Observe the behavior of your friends and family (what they do in their spare time, such as sports, hobbies, shows they binge, e.t.c.)
• See what you can do to improve a situation. For example, if your little brother’s football is all tattered, buy him a new one. If your older sister is running out of art supplies, buy her a new sketchpad.
• Try remembering a past want or need that your friend or a family member has expressed. For example, buy your friend that top she wanted or get your mother a massage to relieve all that stress she’s been complaining about.
• Most importantly, remember that there is no such thing as a perfect gift. As the saying goes, “it’s the thought that counts”

Where to get it

• There are plenty of great places in the area to get cheap gifts. Of course, there are places like local thrift stores such as Goodwill, or The Salvation Army. Don’t underestimate the contents of these places, just because a gift is cheap and was pre-owned doesn’t mean it isn’t perfect
• There are also stores that are price-limited and offer great gifts for a cheap price. If your friend needs headphones, or a set of speakers there are plenty at Five Below. If your mother desperately needs makeup, then head over to the Dollar Tree, a place where literally everything is a dollar.
• If you’re looking for something that is cheap but doesn’t say ¨I picked this up at a local pharmacy on the way here, because I totally forgot¨  then try the Logan Valley Mall. FYE is a great place in the mall to find box sets of TV shows if you have friends who love cult classic movies and TV as well as cheap up-to-date musical selections, be it vinyl or CDs. FYE also offers many books, posters, toys, trinkets, and other items related to many comic universes and popular shows.

That’s all for me this week, hope to hear from you guys again. Don’t be shy.

Happy Holidays everyone!

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