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With Christmas just being around the corner, it's a busy time for everyone. Did you know that the single busiest shopping hour for the holidays is December 24 between 3 and 4 in the afternoon? So let's not procrastinate this year and get all your Christmas shopping done and out of the way! I know how difficult it is to get a gift for everyone on your list and at the same time, trying to stay on budget. Canadian shoppers spent around $36.8 billion (probably more now) every year during December! While you are scrumbling to get the perfect presents for everyone, here is THISWASFOREVER's shopping guide for Christmas 2011. Hopefully these ideas will help you get great gifts and save you some money!
First, I want to share with you some of my holiday-money-saving tips!
1) Make a Christmas Gift List: this is a great tip for a few reasons – first, it really is the only way that you can effectively organize your Christmas shopping. Second, a list allows you to project how much money you will need for your Christmas spending.
2) Buy one or two "I forgot to buy for…” Gifts: it's common that we may forget someone on our list, so it doesn't hurt to have some small backup presents. Rather than rushing out to buy a gift (and likely end up overspending), consider buying a couple of generic gifts specifically for this purpose. Something like a box of chocolates, a gift card to a mall or movie tickets are great choices.
3) Shop at Discount Stores: instead of shopping at typical department stores at the mall, try to spend some time at a discount store instead. For example, you can find great deals at your local Winners or Stylesense! These two stores are my favourites because you can find name brand items for discounted prices! There are also outlet malls around the GTA, such as Danier Leather Outlet in Markham and Orfus Road in Toronto. I would also suggest taking one day out of your weekend and make a trip to different outlet malls where you can get all your Christmas shopping done in one place! Some outlets I would recommend include Cookstown Outlet Mall and Canada One Outlets.
4) Look for Discounts: this time of the year is very competitive among retailers. Thus, it's not uncommon for them to be slashing some of their prices. When I use to work for H&M, we had a Christmas clearance every single year that started around this time! I'm sure that other stores will be doing the same. Therefore, look for the huge sale area at the department stores when you are shopping for gifts
Once you have gotten all these tips down, now I'll present you with the items that made it to my Christmas shopping list for 2011. Since this blog is a fashion/beauty blog, I have decided to divide the gifts up into these two categories. As a bonus, I have also included a "For Him" section just because I always receive so many questions about what I usually gift to my boyfriend on Formspring. So without further ado...
For the Fashion Lover
Jewelry Display/Stand from Forever 21
If your friends are like me and have all my earrings, necklaces, bracelets, etc, just thrown onto a desk, then these organizers would be amazing! They are a great way to keep the desk tidy and it makes it so much easier to find the exact piece that you are looking for! These range from $12-$18 CAD from Forever 21.
Danier Leather Ipad Case
This extremely chic case will make carrying around the Ipad even more fashionable! Subtle, pearlized patent leather makes this a rich, sleek and modern rendition of the iPad case. A polished tab closure and soft lining make this both practical and pretty. It comes in 5 different colours and it's genuine leather. You can find more information about the product here! Currently on sale at your local Danier Leather for only $29! (I bought one for myself as well!)
The Perfect Party Dress
Of course, with Christmas and New Years coming up, there will be many gatherings and parties. Therefore, you can probably expect your fashionistas to be at the top of her game! Even though she may already have an outfit in mind, it doesn't help to open up her options. H&M have always been one of my favourite, favourite store of all time! They always offer such amazing discounts and products during the holiday season! And this year is no exception! Check out these great holiday dresses for under $20!
For the Beauty Lover
Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter
These are the most popular and hottest item right now on beauty blogs and Youtube channels! I must admit, that I also LOVE these! I was lucky enough to be able to pick all the colours that I had wanted from my local Walmart. I heard that these have been sold out everywhere and everyone is looking for them! So if you can get your hands on these and give them to your beauty lover friends, I'm sure that they'll love you forever this Christmas! Retail price at Walmart $7.95 each.
Ionika Flat Iron
A flat iron is not just for straightening your hair, but it can also act as a curler as well. I think it's a definite must for any beauty lover to own a flat iron. Remember I picked up this hair straightening at Stylesense for only $22 and it retails for over $100? (Post here!) I checked my local Winners and Stylesense recently and noticed that they had restocked on Ionika products! So hurry and grab some before everything is gone!
Lush Christmas Gifts
Last Christmas, I had received my very first Lush product from a friend. (Sorry, never got a chance to review it on the blog). I remember trying out bath bombs for the very first time and loving it ever since! The best part is that for Christmas, they offer special packages that are already nicely wrapped at incredible price points! There are so many different packages to choose from and they are all under $25! You can check out some of them at their homepage here. Plus, right now if you order online before December 10th, you will get a FREE $10 E-GIFT CARD when you spend $100!
For Him
Home Baked Goodies
My boyfriend has always enjoyed the cakes that I bake for him. So I'm sure that you can't really go wrong with some chocolate cake! Hints: if you are not the "best" at baking, try starting out with cake mix instead of doing everything from scratch. Not only will it save you a lot of time but it'll taste great as well! You can find tons of recipes online! If you are wondering where you can get cake boxes, try your local Bulk Barn. Depending on what kind of cake you are planning on making, it will probably cost around $8-$20.
Personalized Boxer Shorts
I found this amazing tutorial on Youtube that shows a really easy way to hand make a pair of personalized boxer shorts! How cute is that? :) I'm sure that all the materials will cost you less than $10!
World Vision Gift Card
Give something meaningful to your boyfriend. I'm sure that JL would enjoy these as well since he loves helping others. The best part is that he'll get to pick what to give to the people in need. The World of Change Giving Card is a gift you can give to a person you would like to honour. The recipient of the giving card can choose to redeem gifts from the World Vision Gift Catalogue to help children and families in need around the world. The giving card is available in denominations of $30, $50, $75, $100 and $150. You can order online here!