Home » Health & Wellness » Disabilities » It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!

© Michelle Struik

The Holiday Season is just around the corner and those Christmas CD's are already flooding the commercials on your TV set! It's the time of year that everyone seems to develop a love/hate relationship with Santa. :)

How do you plan and get everything done without putting yourself in the hospital because of the additional stress it puts on your medical condition? Careful planning is the answer! We are not the type of consumer that works well under pressure madly shopping on Christmas Eve.

Make a List and stick to it!

Make a list of those you wish to give to and stick to it! Ask those on the list for "suggestions" or a "wish list" to guide you on that perfect gift!

Catalogue Shopping

Although catalogue shopping can be expensive if you go the Victoria's Secret route, it is a good way to do some Christmas browsing. To gain some ideas of what you could buy for those special people in your life.

On-line Shopping

Browse around the Net, another way to look at what's new on the market that might be in your local stores.

Limit your Expeditions

Once you've grabbed some ideas on possible gift ideas, let your fingers do the walking through the yellow pages and phone stores to see if they have those items in stock. If they do, have them hold them for you. If they have delivery service at low cost or no cost, have them deliver it!

Do your shopping in small blocks of time. The best times I've found are in the morning or during the dinner hour to actually do the picking up of the "hold items." The stores are less busy and the line ups at the cashier are manageable for those of you with endurance problems. Also, these times give you an opportunity to browse in the store without heavy crowds. Start now! If you pick up a two to four items per week you'll have most of your shopping done well before the crowds start getting really bad.

AVOID evening and weekend shopping! Everyone else will be in the stores at that time and the clerks don't have the time to help you if you require assistance.

Christmas Cards

Get return address labels or a stamp made. Use them! You can also use your word processing program (if you have one) to make up a master Christmas card mailing label list which you can use from year to year with adjustments. Avery Labels have labels for all types of printers. If someone complains it's not personal enough then they don't know you well enough to get a card. :) I tend to do my cards while watching TV during the commercials I don't want to watch, which forces me to take breaks while doing this task.