My simple shopping strategy.

While the whole world fought through thick crowds and long lines in the malls and stores, I relaxed and waited until yesterday to do my Christmas shopping. Some of you are probably saying that it is suicide to shop so close to Christmas day because people are like frantic lunatics desperate to grab the last good gifts on store shelves.

For me, I have already come up with a stress free plan in getting my family their Christmas gifts. What is that plan, you ask?

For years, I have always bought gifts for my family only to be disappointed when the gifts are opened on Christmas day. The items I bought are either the wrong brand, wrong color, does not have all the features they want, right brand but wrong model, just endless list of errors and blunders.

Well, after so much trial and error, I finally came up with a strategy one Christmas season about a decade ago. I loaded my family in our family car and asked them which mall or store(s) they would like to go. They give me their vote and we drive to their chosen place. When we arrive at the place, I would select a comfortable bench and ask my family to search for their preferred gift. I would enjoy a cup of Starbucks latte and patiently wait for my cell  phone to ring.

After about 30 or so minutes, a call would come in my cell phone requesting me to head to a particular store because one or both of my kids are already in line to the cashier holding their gifts. I would then casually walk to the store(s) and just pay the cashier.

When we returned to home, my kids would wrap their gifts and set it up under a tree. The whole shopping process is done in 2.5 hours.

This season, we went to a shopping district full of Korean gift stores and restaurants. My kids already knew what they wanted weeks in advance. It only took 15 minutes for my daughter to locate her gift and my son only took 10 minutes to find his gift. What a record breaker and I did not even finish my latte.

My wife and I are not into buying each other gifts anymore because we figured that we would rather focus our funds on getting our children good gifts because it delights us greatly to see them open their gifts and discover that it is what they really want. Well, the discovery experience is a bit absent because they picked the gifts themselves but the joy and happiness that they experience receiving the gift is priceless.

Merry Christmas everyone.