The Toronto Eaton Centre

The countdown is on friends and if you’re like our Senior Editor Robin Stevenson (who wrote about her own Christmas intervention in our November issue) you’ve been finished for weeks. But for the rest of us, effective shopping tactics are key for the days leading up to C-Day. Here are some tips on how you can stay jolly while shopping this year.

1. Map it out: Go to the malls website and print their floor plan and, with their online directory, map out exactly which stores you want to hit and the most effective route. Yes, we know this kind of takes the fun out of shopping, but its crunch time people!

2. Plan ahead: If you are venturing to the malls, bring water, find a locker to store your coat and extra bags and have a shopping list. Don’t wing it.

3. Shop online: While most have already jumped on the online shopping bandwagon, there are still a few disbelievers out there. But lets weigh the options here: being stuck in a mall with people (both slow walkers and people with their elbows out) listening to every Christmas carol ever created and schlepping around your body weight in presents or sitting at home (possibly even by the fire), with a cup of hot cocoa and your choice of music. And if you hurry, you can still get many items delivered before the 25th, free of charge.

4. Donate: One of the things that makes holiday shopping so difficult is that many of our friends and family don’t really need anything. So, in the spirit of the season why not donate? You’ll come off looking fashionably charitable, and many donations can be made online.

5. Wrap it up: Gift cards are lame. We know that anyone between the ages of 8 and 25 doesn’t trust their family to pick them out anything, but as long as returns are accepted, why not just get them something? Try your best at nailing their style, and, if nothing strikes your fancy, opt for something ridiculous from the store – at least it will be a conversation starter, and maybe you can take them shopping to exchange it.

Happy shopping!