It is the most wonderful time of the year. You know what that means! Everybody is finally home for the holidays, the family is back together, the cookies are in the oven, the lights up and the gifts are under the tree.

One of the most stressful parts of the holidays is buying gifts because all the department stores are overcrowded and chaotic. The mall is almost a war zone with salespeople bombarding you to come in their shop as they offer you a free sample.

Those loud children just causing complete mayhem. But we continue to shop all just to find that special gift for that special someone and it makes the whole consumerism experience worthwhile. The holidays come around only once a year so why not go all out? Here is a list of do’s and don’ts to follow when shopping:

Do’s:

• Buy something within your budget! As thoughtful and generous of you to splurge, holidays don’t have to make you fall into debt. Just be mindful of the amount you are spending
• Think of a thoughtful gift, try to find a deep meaning behind the gifts you give. For example, maybe your co-worker has always been complaining about not having enough time, in this a case a watch would be the perfect gift. Time is now in their hands, how meaningful
• Look for sales, this does not mean shop at Sears..sometimes up-scale departments like Macy’s stores lower prices on a ton of items just for you
• Wrap gifts in a presentable fashion, nothing ruins a gift more than the gift wrap/bag looking like absolute garbage. The first impression is everything
• Write out cards! What is more personal, than a personalized card to go along with the gift, it is a nice gesture anybody would appreciate
• Re-gift a gift! This is such a great hack, especially when you are broke or just lazy.

Don’ts:

• Give money/gift cards to someone you care about, there is nothing special about it period. Even though nobody will complain about receiving it, deep down we all wish it could’ve been something more sentimental. So say no to the easy option and go the extra mile to actually find something to wrap
• Wait until the last minute for shopping, you are just asking for stress. Be proactive about it and start making a list, it is never too early..just make sure to check it twice!
• Expect a gift in exchange for every gift you give. Sometimes you do not always get what you give but it is always nice to believe in good karma. Besides, the real excitement comes from watching the reaction of someone opening your gift
• Shop online for gifts, although it is much simpler to just browse the internet for options. It adds a great deal of stress, planning out the delivery date in time and paying shipping fees. Especially when the whole expectation versus reality, becomes a real issue. It almost always does look better online.

Danielle Cortes can be reached at the [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.