Anyone who went shopping for Halloween decorations around October 28^th may have gotten a festive shock at their local Target or Home Depot: Christmas gifts and decorations were already on the shelves! Retailers are preparing for an unusual holiday season that is already underway (kicked off on Amazon Prime Day back in October). They’re getting an early start to ensure that everyone shopping from home will be able to buy and ship gifts in time for the holidays.

If you typically indulge in the traditional Black Friday sales, you may be in for a very quiet day. Salesforce estimates that the $6 billion usually spent in the U.S. during Cyber Week in November was already spent in the month of October. So, are there still deals available and how will you feel fulfilled if you don’t stand in line for that toaster oven for 6 hours? A few tips to keep you sane and get everything you’re looking for:

1. Splurge on online wrapping services. Remember that EVERYONE is going to be buying and shipping and the Post Office, FedEx, and UPS will be bogged down. Rather than shipping to you to wrap and ship to your loved one, pay for the gift wrapping service and save yourself the headaches.
2. Shop local. If you have local friends on your shopping list, try to patronize a local shop (likely hit hard by the pandemic). Many have websites you can shop on or curbside delivery if you know exactly what you want. Or, mask up, smile with your eyes, and let a local store know you haven’t forgotten them.
3. Load your shopping cart over time. Rather than buying items from on-line sources one or two at a time, add them to your shopping cart as you think of them and try to get one big shipment assembled. This will take some of the pressure off the shippers.
4. Try an online discount provider. Download Honey or Rakuten to your internet browser to automatically have discounts to thousands of online stores applied to your purchases. You may get immediate discounts or even a savings check mailed to you just in time for Boxing Day sales!
5. Donate and volunteer. A lot of people have had a very bad year and many aren’t able to give their family and friends the holiday they would like. If you have the means, donate to worthy charities like Toys for Tots or Christmas Spirit Foundation (which provides Christmas trees to military families when one parent is deployed), drop off food at a local pantry, or even volunteer your time at a soup kitchen or adopt a family in need.
6. Skip it all together. Of all the years to make a gift or surprise your friends and family with an experience (rather than a tangible gift), this is the one. People don’t need anything fancy. They just want to know that they are loved and that they are on your mind.

 This year has been different in so many ways but some things remain the same this season of giving: be thoughtful, be kind, be charitable, and let the spirit of the holiday shine bright—even if Black Friday gets cancelled!