Christmas seems to come early every year as shops start stocking up with festive goods and decorations to drive customers into their stores. Although it is only autumn, it is not too early to start planning for Christmas, especially with rising prices everywhere. Here are some of my ideas to get you started with some suggested timelines.
Christmas Lists
It is absolutely essential to create a Christmas List. This list can be very personal and can include gifts you need to buy, shopping you need to do, events and parties you need to attend, right down to your Christmas Day Menu. Everything requires planning and if you start getting organised early on, half the battle is won. I would advise getting started towards the end of September.
Budgeting
Christmas can be a heavy time on the wallet. It is therefore important to budget and spread the expenses over a slightly longer time frame to even out the spending. This will also allow you to shop out the best deals for those pricey items on your Christmas List.
Bespoke Gifts and Curated Gifting
Having time on your hand will allow you to get more personalised and memorable gifts. There are several options you can explore. You can have something personalised online or in a store. Personalised Monograms on a leather diary, wallet or even socks is a great place to explore. You can also opt for a completely bespoke option and commission something thoughtful like a piece of jewellery.
Online Gift Shopping
Online shopping is a great way to optimise your time and allows you to shop at your own convenience. Quite often there are great deals and discounts available online, especially around the Black Friday - Cyber Monday weekend. It is best to order early to avoid any long postal delays or customs hold-ups for overseas parcels. This will also allow you time to return anything that is not suitable. Aim to get started shopping online towards the end of October and through November.
Christmas Shopping Events
By the end of October (post Halloween), you will already start noticing the first Christmas advertisements appear on TV and Radio. This is also the time of transition away from summer time in most countries and days are shorter in Europe / North America. This is a great time to start scoping out Christmas Shopping Events and Shows near you and organise any tickets you may need. If you are signed up to receive email marketing, you may also get free tickets to events. You want to try and get through the bulk of your shopping lists in this period.
Festive Christmas Markets
Late November and Early December is a very festive time to get out and visit various Christmas Markets. These have a great atmosphere to get into the festive spirit. You can look for any last minute or unique gifts not already marked off on your Christmas lists and enjoy a merry moment with your family and friends.
Hopefully, you would have already finished a majority of your shopping, leaving you stress free and able to avoid the Christmas rush. Now you can spend these moments, revelling and enjoying the more experiential moments of the season with near and dear ones.
If you were considering commissioning a bespoke jewellery piece for someone special, do get in touch with us early and we would love to help you create it.