A few months ago, I decided on a whim that I would get my holiday shopping done early, and I’m so glad I did. I tend to be somewhat of a last-minute gift shopper, and when the idea to shop early popped into my head I wanted to make a silly little challenge with myself to see if I could actually do it. I started planning out what to buy for people on my list that same day. I’d had a weird summer and thought I’d need random projects to keep myself from getting aimlessly sad in the fall, so at first, my goal was to have all my presents purchased by the end of October. That didn’t happen, but I did have everything done before Thanksgiving, barring a gift or two!

My biggest reason for being proactive was so that when the holiday season actually rolled around, I could relax and have fun instead of stressing over everything I had to get done. I felt so much less frazzled this December than I usually do, and I felt like I got to spend much more time actually enjoying the season with people who matter to me. As far as timesaving goes, it probably helped that I did more shopping online this year than I ever have in the past.

Here are my observations about early holiday shopping:

Pros:

• You don’t spend a massive amount of money within the span of a few weeks and can actually spread out your purchases to match your budget.
• You’re forced to be more deliberate in my planning and seriously consider which gifts would make each person the happiest.
• You have time to leisurely scour different stores and randomly happen about perfect prsents.
• The holiday season is so much more enjoyable when you’re not down to the wire!
• You aren’t subject to holiday price gouging and can be picky about finding the best deals.
• You feel smug and prepared when December rolls around.

Cons:

• People think you’re a psychotic overachiever if you tell them you’re holiday shopping in October.
• You may miss out on the best sales in November and December.
• You may lose track of who you already bought things for and spend more money than you intended to – I had to keep everything listed out so I didn’t get too confused.
• During the holidays, brands put limited-edition products on the shelves and just have a general overflow of the kinds of purchases that make great gifts, which you’ll miss out on if you shop super early.
• With so many months left until the holidays, you may come across so many things that seem just perfect for a certain recipient that you can’t stop yourself from buying them way more than they need and than you can afford.

This pretty much speaks for itself, right? You should totally shop early next year! And to those of you ultra-organized folks who have been doing this for decades and can’t believe this is a revelation to me, I envy and respect how effortless life’s logistics are for you. You’re probably that person who gets two hours of cardio and a blowout in before 6am, and you should probably teach me your ways.

Original by Claire Hannum