With all the talking I do about Giftster, you might think that Christmas is my favorite holiday. The truth is that Thanksgiving holds that place in my heart and, like many others, I’m sad that my favorite holiday sort of gets pushed aside during this time of year. Here we are in November with Halloween just ending, and retailers are already decking the halls.
…sigh…
While I’m content with patiently waiting till after Thanksgiving to start my shopping and decorate my house, I am still all for getting organized as early as possible. And with Giftster, I can get my holiday ducks in a row without it overwhelmingly taking over my favorite time of year. Here’s how I do it.
1. Check my list off my to do list
Giftster is an all-year-round tool for me, so I have a good start on my holiday list already. Still, I like to make sure that my personal list is holiday-ready with these few steps:
- Update my list name and note that its for this year.
- Check that there is a reasonable amount of items listed (at least 10).
- Take a quick look at my gift preference profile and make any necessary changes.
- Double check that my list is shared with all the groups I need it shared with.
Then, as the month goes on, if I see something that I’d like to add, I can easily add it to this already made list.
2. Get Child Lists ready, too
My boys are older and are pretty good about updating their own wish lists, but I still have to make a list for my daughter. I remind the boys that they need to spend a little time on their lists and I add at least a few items to the list of Little Miss. Check out my Birthday & Christmas Wish List Guidelines for Kids for tips on how to help your children make reasonable and thoughtful wish lists.
3. Make sure that my groups have everyone included
Have there been any additions to the family this year? Is there anyone that needs to be removed? This is when I take a look at the groups I manage and make sure that everyone who should be in the group is in the group.
4. Set up this year’s Secret Santa exchange
Once I know that my group is in order, I get this year’s Secret Santa set up. This way, if anyone else wants to start shopping, they can (even though I’ll still be waiting a few weeks).
5. Peek at everyone else’s lists in shop for others
While I have no plans to shop anytime soon, I also want to make sure that no one else snags the gifts I want to give from other people’s lists. Take a quick look at the lists made by your group and mark any items that you know you want to give as reserved. We’ll put them on your shopping list and you can purchase them whenever you’re ready. And while you’re looking at lists, if there are any lists that haven’t been updated, send a reminder to the person asking them to update their list.
And just like that, you’ve gotten yourself organized. Now you can work on your Thanksgiving menu and festivities!
And, for our family, that includes naming the turkey.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
