Christmas Shopping

 

For many years it was traditional that one Sunday Mum, my sisters and myself would go into Manchester City Centre and do as much of our Christmas shopping as we could. It was because we used to get vouchers from a well known hamper company and it would be the weekend after we received them. However, after one of their competitors went bust just before Christmas we decided not to take the chance. We still did our shopping day but we never seemed to buy as much as we had generally started earlier. We also had less to buy in some respects as the kids got older, so the day became more of a spending time together day than shopping.

However, because of Covid, my youngest sister emigrating to Australia and Mum getting older we aren’t going to do a shopping day anymore. This has meant that I do my shopping at my leisure. Although I enjoy shopping, as I have become older I find the crowds more and more irritating and I am quite keen to avoid them. I will go shopping first thing in the morning or wait until about 30 minutes before the shops are due to close. I am lucky enough to be very close to the Trafford Centre, but I will avoid going there as much as possible because of how busy it is. It is handy though for the last minute presents that Craig springs on me.

Last year was the first time I did all of my shopping online and I admit I absolutely loved it. Most of the time I do prefer going and actually physically seeing what I am buying but with all the restrictions last year I decided against going out. I bought most of my presents from Etsy or NotontheHighStreet as I wanted to get things that you would not normally find in the chain stores and also to support the small businesses who haven’t got the resources to survive like the ‘big boys’.

 This year I have decided to do the same for most of the presents. I have a few gifts that I am actually going out to the shops to purchase but the rest of them have already been ordered and delivered and are just waiting to be wrapped.

 Shopping online also helps me stay on budget as I am not tempted to put extras in my basket which is always a big help at this time of year.

 How do you prefer to do our shopping and has it changed over the years?