We wish you a stress-free Christmas

Ho ho hos and all things merry are peeking over the horizon, but with festive fun comes a lot of unwanted seasonal stress as well. We asked our Grabbies what they do to avoid Christmas holiday madness. Check out their top stress-free holiday tips that’ll help you make the most of your summer holidays too.

  1. Get started early
    From Boxing Day sales and layby shopping right through to collecting bits and bobs throughout the year, loads of people make their Christmas easier by getting it all sorted early. Easier said than done? Apparently not. Jacqui C and Jamie B are on the same wavelength: they start laybying presents earlier in the year, then pick up the gifts a few days before Christmas so they don’t have to hide them from the kids. Shopping the sales throughout the year is also a popular tip, but Amelia M takes it one step further and buys one present every month of the year so by the time Christmas rolls around most of her shopping is already done!
  2. Give from the heart
    Giving doesn’t have to be expensive, so if you’re keen to save as much as you can these crafty tips might be right up your alley. Jennifer M “makes presents from scratch and sends cards to others. I’m not big on the whole buying people gifts, much rather the thought.” Chantelle H agrees. “Be crafty and make homemade stuff or bake some treats. Thoughtful gifts are the best.” And gifts don’t have to be actual things either. Cathryn W says, “My daughter’s favourite present last year was a voucher from me for dinner out with Mum. She has asked for the same gift again.” Don’t know where to start when it comes to homemade gifts? Pinterest offers a plethora of ideas. You just have to decide where to start.

  • Try Secret Santa
    Loads of Grabbies, including Letitia R, are turning to Secret Santa gifting this year. “We each buy a gift that’s $20 or less, wrap them up then wrap them again in newspaper. Then we … number the gifts and pull a number out of a hat. [Whatever] number you pull out you look for that gift and that’s your Christmas present. There’s one catch – you can’t swap.”
  • Shop around for the best bargain
    Megan F has this great tip for saving as much as you can on expensive electrical things like cameras or tablets. “Phone around to see who will give you the best price, look for the cheapest sale in the catalogue, then go somewhere like Warehouse Stationery where they beat a competitor’s price by a certain percentage to get an even better deal. Same with Mitre 10 and Bunnings – whoever has the cheapest, go to the other and you’ll get 15% off the one who had it cheapest. Christmas is expensive and I think it’s best to save every bit you can on Christmas pressies.” Agreed.
  • Avoid the mall
    No one’s got time for crowds, queues, chaotic carparks and probable over-spending. A huge number of Grabbies said online shopping was their preference this year. Kaleena H likes shopping online because she can compare prices – and doesn’t get distracted and overspend! Nikki M prefers online shopping because it “saves trying to find a park in the mall and dealing with all the shoppers.” (Speaking of which, you’ve come to the right place for online Christmas shopping ideas too – check out GrabOne’s Events page for handy categories like Gifts for Him, Her, Kids and Families, plus Gifts Under $20, Under $50, Under $100 and Over $100, to help you with your shopping. Keep visiting these pages regularly too – they’re constantly updating as we add new deals to the mix!)

Good luck with this year’s Christmas shopping; hopefully it won’t be as stressful as usual! And if the worst comes to the worst, you could always take a leaf out of Donnelle B’s book: “Gin.” Enough said.