Is it possible to do all your Christmas shopping in a day?

Christmas is gradually approaching, but many of us are still in denial. There’s the vain hope that if you ignore it for long enough it will kind of sort itself out. But unfortunately, that usually means a last minute scramble to get everything done.

And of course, one of the key things to get done is the Christmas shopping. Don’t you just hate those people who have it all done and wrapped already?! But it’s still not too late to get your shopping done early. If you put your mind to it you can even get it all done in just one day. Yes, really. Just imagine how good that would feel!

Not only is it a relief to get all your shopping done in one day, but it is a great way to save money on your Christmas shopping too. If you do all your gift spending in one day then there is no need to keep spending more after that. And if you buy all your gifts at the same time, you may find that you benefit from offers such as 3 for 2, Buy One Get One Free and free delivery, not to mention promotions like Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

In this article we explain how you can start and finish your Christmas shopping in one day.

Just follow our simple five step plan to make it happen.

Step 1 : Start making a list – and checking it twice!

The key to getting all your shopping done in one day is to be very clear about what you need to buy. So as well as a list of people to buy gifts for you also need to have some very specific ideas of what to get them. This may require time spent online doing research, and/or some subtle digging to find out what people would really like.

It is definitely worth putting time and effort into this part of the process. Otherwise you could end up on your shopping day wandering round shops aimlessly waiting for something to leap out at you. And your mission may well end in frustration.

And a hint for Christmas 2025 is to start keeping notes of potential gifts all year round. So whenever someone mentions an item they’re interested in, or something they’d like to do, make a note of it in case you can use it nearer Christmas.

It’s also important to be aware of the total amount of money that you are able to spend on gifts, and keep checking your budget as you shop – for example by keeping a record on your phone of what you have spent so far and how much you have left. 

Step 2 : Plan your shopping day carefully

Once you have a list of what you want to buy, you need to plan your shopping day. 

For many of us, Christmas shopping is likely to be a combination of visiting shops and shopping online. If so, it’s a good idea to do an online “sandwich”. Start the day early at home (or even get a head start the night before) and buy everything that you definitely want to buy online. Then head off to the shops for your physical shopping. But if you come back with items still missing, go online again to get them sorted. Remember the idea is to get everything done in just one day so don’t leave any items for “later”. Get them now.

For the physical shopping part of your day, planning ahead is essential. For example, if you are going to a large shopping centre, work out which shops you most want to visit, get a map and plan your route. This avoids having to waste time trekking back and forth from one end to the other. It’s also worth considering whether you have any large items to get and, if so, either getting those last, or getting them first and taking them back to the car if you have driven there.

Physical shopping will be much easier and less stressful if the shops are quiet, so it may be worth seeing if you can take a few hours off work or childcare to be able to go shopping either very early in the morning or on a weekday. 

And when you are shopping, stay focused and don’t get distracted. Only go to the shops you need to, for the items you need. Don’t start looking for other things or try and do your food shopping at the same time. Use this time just for Christmas shopping to make sure that you get it all done. It’s only one day so everything else can wait.

Step 3 : Be happy with “good enough”

There’s a lot of pressure around Christmas to get the perfect gift. So even though you may have an item at the checkout that would make a great gift, you begin to wonder if there might be something even better in the next shop.

The truth is that there probably isn’t. The perfect gift doesn’t usually exist. So to get things done, just buy what you see. You can waste a lot of time by dithering. 

And if you do happen to see anything elsewhere that really is much better than whatever you have bought, you can either take the original item back, or buy both and use one of them either for someone else, for the original recipient’s next birthday or even Christmas 2025!

Step 4 : What to get that person who is hard to buy for

One of the things that can really extend Christmas shopping is finding an ideal gift for that person who is really hard to buy for. So it’s important not to let this spoil your shopping day. If you don’t get a gift for this person today, it will be on your mind, and you will most likely end up rushing out at the last minute and getting something totally unsuitable anyway.

One of the easiest ideas for that person is a gift voucher either for a store so they can choose their own gift, or for an experience. But these can be expensive, so another great idea is to get a basket or gift box and fill it with a few small items that you think they would like, or at least will be useful. For example: 

• Toiletries
• Candles
• Miniature bottles of drink
• Chocolates or biscuits
• Socks

Step 5 – When it’s over, it’s over

If you follow the above steps, there is no reason why you can’t finish your shopping in one day. But then you need to stop.

There is something about Christmas that always makes us feel that we need to do more. Whether it’s gifts, cards, food, drink, decorations or any other aspect of the festive season we can become anxious that we won’t have enough. Whereas usually we get more than we need and end up with too much.

So be strong and keep reminding yourself that it is finished. And all you need to do now is get everything wrapped then sit back and enjoy the season.

We hope that this article helps you to have the best possible Christmas shopping experience this year, and save money in the process. But if you are running short of money for Christmas, remember that Loans 2 Go offers a range of personal loans that may be able to help.

Do check back here soon for more lifestyle and financial tips from Loans 2 Go.