How to Use Pinterest to Make the Holidays Less Stressful

There are only 12 more Saturdays until Christmas. You're lying if you say that doesn't freak you out.

But wait a second. Christmas should be the most magical time of the year! With sugarplums and fairy lights and sleigh rides (although here in Florida, our "sleighs" have wheels cuz no snow). I love Christmas and I love being able to fully enjoy the season. But for me, December 1st is when the alarm in my head goes off and I start to think, "Ack! Christmas is only 3 1/2 weeks away! I need to go shopping!" and every spare minute is spent either driving from store to store or racking my brain thinking about what to buy.

I always tell myself I'm going to start shopping early, but let's be honest. That NEVER happens. This year, I decided to use some of my favorite things to help me plan WAY ahead of schedule: Pinterest and my favorite word processing software.

Keep an Ongoing List

For a few years now, I've kept a simple list on my computer (you can use Notepad or Microsoft Office or your iPhone, whatever) where I type up gift ideas for people as I think of them. In prior years, the problem was that I wasn't using this effectively. I would only put down ideas in the middle of my frenzied shopping to help me decide between 5 different things that caught my eye as I scrolled through Amazon. Now, whenever an idea hits me, even in March, I write it down. This is great for that "January Gift Idea" Phenomenon that happens when you think of the perfect gift for someone AFTER the holidays go by. Don't kick yourself. Type it up next to that person's name so you have a gift idea ready to go the next time Christmas (or their birthday) rolls around.

Pinterest

My most favorite tool for gift planning is Pinterest. I am a Pinterest ADDICT. And I'm not ashamed. I mostly use it to look up great recipes, find funny quotes or comics, get craft ideas, and feed my Doctor Who/Sherlock obsession. But then I realized I could put Pinterest to work for me. 

I keep seeing awesome products pop up on my feed. Like that one particular item that would be perfect for my brother. Rather than send the pin to him (and risk him running out and buying it for himself), I pin it to a secret board labeled "Gift Ideas." None of my followers can see it, and I now have a built-in link for where to buy that perfect "mystery item" when Christmas rolls around. I'm on Pinterest all the time, so none of this takes any extra effort. I just pin 'em when I see 'em.

Execute!

Now that I have a great list of ideas for my whole family, shopping is easy. I can shop through October/November (It's October 1st, and I've already bought a gift for my mom) and be done by Thanksgiving! I like to leave a little bit of wiggle room on my shopping list for those great Black Friday deals, but I don't rely on it (who needs to fight crowds? I'm usually putting up my tree and sipping cocoa that day). Besides, Black Friday tends to be best for buying big ticket items like TVs and electronic gadgets, and that kind of thing is not usually on my shopping list.

What do you guys do to keep your holidays stress-free (besides spiking the eggnog)?