Ok Friends, the time to be jolly is here! And this year more than ever before, I think we can all use a little bit more Holiday Cheer.
For us at home, it began with setting the mood! That means decorating early, baking and getting a head start on the gift shopping!
Let’s talk a little bit about shopping. I don’t know if you can remember how insane the on-line shopping backups were back in the Spring when we were all homebound but it was very difficult for anyone to get things shipped quickly and we saw an abundance of items sold out everywhere!
With Covid-19 still being a thing, we figured we would give you some tips around stress free shopping this holiday season.
Shop Local
Now more than ever, your local shops are thirsty for your support. A lot of the small businesses around you have been impacted in a really hard way because of Covid 19 restrictions. It is crucial for us as consumers to source out local businesses that will benefit greatly from holiday shoppers. Keep this in mind also when it comes to planning your holiday dinner. Some of the best goods come from farms, bakeries and restaurants that are small and local! Think homemade ❤️ Some of our favourite shops are
- Homestead Artisan Bakery Cafe – Barrie
- Olive Oil Co. Inc. – Barrie
- Our House – Barrie
- King Whitening – Simcoe County
- Sann and Droves Eyewear – Barrie (shop on Amazon!)
- Rynics Day Spa – Barrie
- Oh Beehive – Barrie
- Clothz – Alliston
- Dwellings Decor – Barrie
Online Shopping
I don’t know about you but I will do anything I can do avoid having to go into a big box store during the holiday season. Pandemic or no pandemic! I absolutely love the option to shop online, from the comfort of my warm home and have my purchases delivered right to my door! This all sounds great right? But if you aren’t careful, online shopping can be tricky and stressful! This goes back to my first point about delays and out of stock items. A lot of times when we shop online we forget that the inventory is not endless and that during the holidays processing and delivery times can be longer than usual. This is why we are recommending you take these things into consideration if you are going to be shopping online
- Make your list early. Even if you aren’t going start shopping right away, make the list. This will give you an idea of what you need and where you will be sourcing these items from.
- Check shipping deadlines. Again, even if you aren’t planning on shopping right away, go browse the websites you will eventually shop from and see if they have a Christmas cut off date. THIS IS IMPORTANT!!! You do not want to find out last minute that the store you were planning on ordering from had an early cut off date!
- Research if the items on your list are HOT items. Hot items often sell out FAST and sometimes do not get restocked before Christmas. If you have a hot item on your list, you may want to consider getting it sooner rather than later.
- Keep track of what Canada Post or the couriers are is saying about Holiday Shipping times. Sometimes you think you are in clear because you have placed your order within the stores cut off time but the courier is the one that is behind on shipping! Keep this in mind so you don’t miss out on getting your gifts on time due to a delay in the courier service!
- Consider mailing your gift right to the persons front door! A lot of store offer a send a gift shipping option! This is a great feature, specially now when we are being recommended to stay home!
Yes, the holidays may be a little different this year compared to years before, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t make the best of this time! Let’s keep our hearts open and our minds full of positivity and together we can make this 2020 holiday season one to remember!
