Joakim has only dealt with three states of Christmas, but, as anyone who has ever shopped at Christmas knows, we are often affected by many ghosts from the past of Christmas. This year we hope to stop the haunting. By naming and shaming the ghosts of Christmas shopping that hide in the shadows and threaten to derail our Christmas gift purchases, our goal is to drive them away well and truly in the history books.
The ghost of indecision
This is the ghost who can never decide what to do with friends and family. He shows his face when he tries to decide what to buy the person who already has everything.
Training is the best way to send this ghost package. Throughout the year, write down various gift ideas. They can be as outrageous or boring as you want, but at least you have a bank of ideas to choose from when Christmas comes.
If you're fighting for ideas for this year, take the time to brainstorm. Sit down with a pen and paper and write down as many gift ideas as possible. At this stage, do not worry about cost or adequacy; it's more about Christmas gift ideas. If you come up with expensive ideas, sometimes it is possible to find similar Christmas gifts at a much lower price.
For example, their favorite fragrance may be out of your budget, but assorted shower gel is often more affordable. To begin, try to think about that person, their tastes, dislikes, interests, and even their work environment.
For example, a sales representative might appreciate satellite navigation or if you have a budget for a favorite CD that they can play while driving.
The ghost of meaningless Christmas presents
We've all been visited by this ghost at some point. Retailer of the latest gadget that seemed like a business at the time, only to find it buried in a drawer years later. For me, I was a back massage that I bought from my husband over 10 years ago, which is still not out of the box!
To destroy this ghost, always think twice before you buy. First, ask yourself if the gift has a real purpose or a wow factor? For example, Furby - the must-have toy of a decade ago - was fun for at least fifteen minutes, but had no real use other than as a hairy ornament that collected dust on an office shelf.
On the other hand, electronic consoles, including Wii, Nintendo DS, Sony Playstation, have a certain longevity, because you can buy new games. They are also good at keeping children (and even the man) quiet for an hour or so, until they start arguing about whose turn it is.
The second question you need to ask is - will they really appreciate this Christmas present? Again, it's about going beyond the news factor and finding out if the gift will have real value for the recipient or not.
A few years ago, I received some wine charms - a set of different charms, each on their ring, attached to the stem of the wine glass to identify your drink. Although at first glance it seems another novelty, I found them incredibly useful - it's a great way to prevent the mother-in-law from always claiming the glass that is still full!
Ghost of Nightmare credit card bills
The most feared of all ghosts Aromatherapy and one we tend to deal with, closing our eyes and saying "I can't see you." It is a strategy that can work effectively until the function arrives in January, that is!
Approaching this frontal ghost is our best advice. If you are disciplined enough and can make little money each week throughout the year, then you will find Christmas a much easier financial burden to bear. However, if you, like many people, have just sorted out your finances last Christmas, take a different approach and follow it!
Set a budget for each person you are going to buy Christmas presents for. In no case do you exceed your budget - a few pounds here and there will be added soon if you have a large family.
If possible, use cash instead of credit cards. When you see the money you spend, you are less likely to spend too much. If you insist on using credit cards, be sure to add the cost as you go along. Paying attention to how much you spend, there will be no nasty surprises in the new year.
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