Ok so maybe that sounds a little strange to some of you. Go Christmas/Holiday shopping in August?! It really is never to early to start your shopping and it just might save you some money.

Now, I do not recommend randomly shopping for no reason. But if you have children who covet certain toys/games/electronics throughout the year you probably have a good idea of what they want this year. If so, start looking for it. With Labor Day and Columbus Day on the horizon there are going to be a ton of sales, as well as back to school sales for the rest of the summer. And as we all know, retail stores love to rush the seasons. I am sure the sweaters will be on the shelves any day now, if they aren’t already.

Summer is a great time of year to buy wrapping paper also. A lot of places carry wrapping paper, boxes and cards throughout the year and mark it down during the summer months. One of my favorite places to go for christmas wrapping is Christmas Tree Shops (no it is not a Christmas store). They have bargain prices and a variety of quirky items you might not be able to find anywhere else. If you have small children or just know any young children this is a great place to get gift add-ons. Need a sticker book with your child’s name on it? They have it. Need a rubber ducky with their name on it?  Got that too. Need Winnie the Pooh pens with their name on it? You get the idea. Think outside of the box and give yourself some time to look around. It is hard to come out of that store empty handed, trust me.

If you work in an office you probably have some sort of grab-bag/secret santa/whatever so why not start thinking about it now? With all of the expenses that Christmas and Hanukah can bring it pays to start planning for the holiday season early. Obviously you are not going to buy that holiday turkey now, but there are some things you can do now to prepare.

If you are one of those people who waits until after Thanksgiving to even start thinking about the Christmas season then here is what I suggest. Even if just for this year, start thinking about the holiday season in September. You don’t even have to buy anything, just start making lists, get your wrapping supplies in order and create a shopping budget. It will do wonders for you once you are trapped in a crowded mall with smiling teenagers dressed as elves trying to sell you one overpriced thing or another.

Another gift giving task you can do this early is to begin making hand-made presents. From time to time I like to give hand-made gifts and the summer is a great time to begin some of those projects. This time of year is ideal to buy your project supplies whether you need paint, wreath making supplies, canning jars, etc, because the prices are still relatively low this time of year. For the same reason it is not a great idea to start looking for a prom dress in May it is not a good idea to start holiday shopping in December. The prices are already jacked up and a lot of the best deals and high quality items are already gone. Especially when it comes to high ticket items like eletronics and jewelry. Go into any Staples or Circuit City and you will see a ton of back-to-school sales and summer clearance events. Does your husband/wife keep talking about the big screen tv/dvd player/ipod they are dying to get? Check out the sale price now, buy it, and hide it until December. As long as you don’t have a snoop-prone spouse/roommate you should be all set. However if you live with someone like me who can smell a present a mile away consider hiding your gifts at another location.

On the flip side, right after the Christmas season ends in January is also a great time to shop for the following year. The prices are slashed almost immediately to make way for the Valentine’s Day/St. Patrick’s day hoopla. Wrapping paper and holiday cards are usually marked down to 75% by the end of January. But act quickly if there is something specific you have your eye on, some of those post-holiday shoppers can be vicious!

Whenever you choose to start shopping and preparing for the holidays, remember this. While the holiday season can be filled with stress, high credit card bills, a ton of traveling and just general chaos, it is supposed to be fun. So try not to get too caught up in impressing Aunt so and so with the most exspensive gift on the planet and take more time to write thoughtful cards to your loved ones and pause to smell the pine needles. The holidays will go by in a flash but the memories of eating an entire fruit cake and passing out on the couch in front of all of your cousins while they take photos of you will last you the whole year through.

Ho ho ho!

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