The holiday season may be one of the stressful times for some people. Not only are you burdened with additional expenses for presents and parties, you are burdened by the fact that you have to brave crowded shopping malls, full parking spaces and chaos just to be able to do your holiday shopping. But doing your holiday shopping all year round can actually help relieve you of the stress and you get to avoid the crowds. Plus, you also get more time to shop around for the perfect present and you get to spread out your holiday shopping costs.

If you intend to holiday shop all year round, your work will basically begin right after the holiday season. The first thing that you would have to do is to create a list of the people you will be buying presents for the next holiday season. Do an evaluation of your gift recipients. Include as well in the list the possible gifts or gift ideas that you think you intend to buy for each person and if you are on a budget set a maximum amount beside each name. Keep this list in your wallet so that you can frequently check it when you are out in a mall window shopping or looking for possible gifts.

You can actually begin your shopping after the holidays when sales happen and discounts are offered. You can purchase holiday themed gift items and decor at discounted prices which you could possibly give to less personal recipients like maybe your child's teachers and distant relatives.

During the year, seasonal sales happen and you could take advantage of such promotions and closeouts by purchasing the gifts on your list as they go on sale.

Place your gifts in a hiding place or storage facility secure from your children and your spouse. You can wrap the gifts immediately after you purchase them and you could always assign a number for each present with a list of their corresponding recipients. Hide the list of course.

The bulk of your holiday shopping should be finished by around October. The remaining month or weeks prior to the holidays could be utilized to shop for last minute gifts and unexpected presents that you may have forgotten.

A word of advice, it would be very much helpful if you allot a budget every month for holiday presents. Also, if you have lists please don't lose them.