Don’t you just hate those people who brag about being done with their Christmas buying in October? Would you like to get your Christmas shopping done early? It is not as hard as it may seem when you are organized.

First, here are some benefits for being done early:

You get to enjoy the holiday season more including parties, window shopping, time with family and friends; instead of running around going from one store to another, frantically trying to get all your last minute shopping done.

You can spend your Christmas bonus on something for yourself instead of using it for Christmas presents.

You have time to actually enjoy watching all those school Christmas pageants, cooking, baking, and holiday TV movies without worrying about how you should be out shopping for gifts.

One huge benefit is that if you wait until the holiday season is actually here then demand will force prices up and you may even run into out-of-stock situations with that “must have” gift. Shopping early means that you can take your time and wait for the sales and you can grab stuff before the Christmas rush depletes the shelves.

OK, now that you know the benefits, let’s dive right in and find out how to get the Christmas rush over early.

Take advantage of after Christmas sales to buy things like Christmas wrapping paper, ribbons and bows, gift tags, Christmas Cards etc. while they are really cheap.

Carry your Christmas Wish List (with those wishes from your kids, spouse, relatives on it) around in your wallet or purse all year long. This way when you are out shopping for other things during the year and happen to spot something on the Christmas Wish List, you can refer to the list, make the purchase and check it off the list.

Take advantage of the ease of online shopping, especially if one of your favorite stores is running a free shipping event during the year.

Designate a person or family to buy for each month. An example would be that you are buying for in-laws in January, Spouse in February (take advantage of valentine sales), kids in March, and friends in April, then you can do all the extra Christmas trimming buying like cards, decorations etc., in November, Tree decoration buying in early December and you will have had the whole year to watch the summer sales events.

Be prepared for envious looks, daggers aimed at you from those who are shocked that you are done with your Christmas shopping early. If you can stand it, go ahead and brag, you deserve to do so, because you were smart and took advantage of all those yearly sales and saved a bundle on your Christmas shopping. You will also enjoy the holidays more because now you will have all that free time to get a pedicure, soak in the tub, or watch your favorite holiday special on TV instead of having to be out doing last minute shopping.

Christmas is coming, is your Christmas shopping done?

Waiting until the last minute to complete your Christmas shopping can get entirely crazy, and add way too much stress on you. The longer you wait, the more difficult it can be to find the perfect gift for the folks on your shopping list. Waiting too long to finish your Christmas shopping can also add more potential for credit card debt! Nobody needs that, right? So if you haven’t even started shopping yet – now would be the time to start!

Getting started today can give you additional benefits this Christmas season. You can start online, and not even have to stand in line. There is plenty of time to order gifts online, so that they can be shipped to you in plenty of time to get them wrapped early. You’ll have more time to relax and focus on other activities such as decorating, baking, and spending some quiet time with your family. Start looking for online sales now, and before you know it you can be done with your Christmas shopping – early!

If you don’t even have a Christmas list started, that should be the first thing you do tonight. You can start by writing down a few gift ideas for each person on your list. You may want to purchase a particular CD for your sister for example, so write that down and start comparing online prices. If it is a difficult CD to find, you still have plenty of time to find one, even if you need to look on eBay. If it is an easy CD to find, you may find it on sale and save quite a bit of money by keeping an eye on CD sales.

Keep your Christmas shopping list with you from now on, because you never know when you’ll run across a good deal. If your list is handy, you’ll be able to take a look at it while you are already out. Remember keep it up to date by crossing off things you have already purchased. There are iPhone and iPod Touch applications that you can use for this purpose. Do a search in the app store for “Christmas Shopping Lists” or just search “Christmas” and one is sure to pop up. We used an iPod Touch app last year with great results! Some will even record what has already been wrapped.

Be sure to determine how much you’ll be spending in the next couple months on your Christmas shopping, and stick to the budget! You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to find great gifts, as long as you are giving yourself enough time to shop around. Be creative and look for Christmas gift ideas online. We’ll try to share some here as well.