How to Avoid The Holiday Shopping Crowds

Disclosure: I was compensated for this publication. The opinions remain my own.

One thing is for certain, the holiday shopping season is in full swing. With Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday this past weekend, it has already proven to be a bit overwhelming and insane. Sure, shopping those days probably saved you a few dollars but was the insanity of those early hours and late nights worth it? Probably not.

If you were like me and avoided Black Friday (and weekend) shopping altogether, then you know the inevitable is coming…You still need to buy all of those Christmas gifts. But wait, don’t rush to the mall! I am about to tell you How to Avoid The Holiday Shopping Crowds and make it through the holidays with your sanity in tact.

How to Avoid The Holiday Shopping Crowds

It really doesn’t come down to science and I’m also not going to tell you to stand outside at 6 AM in the morning waiting for the stores to open. Instead, I am going to tell you to get nice and cozy in your pajamas, light a fire, and grab some hot cocoa (yes it can be spiked).

Okay, you ready?

Now it’s time to grab your tablet, phone, or laptop. Take a nice deep breath, open your favorite web browser (mine is Chrome) and GET TO SHOPPING!

Yep, that is my tip: shop online!

You can shop from the comfort of your own home where it is warm and safe from all those last-minute, Christmas shopping manics and STILL save money. You can find just about everything you need online, find promo codes for discounts, and even receive free shipping from so many retailers!

Recently, I shopped for boys online at Gymboree.com. Although they are pretty much set for winter, I knew I would still find things I could get them for Christmas. Not to mention, you can NEVER have enough pajamas!

So the first thing I went for was Pajamas and I loved these:

And these…

Oh and of course these…

So I just bought them ALL! But don’t panic, I saved so much! They are actually almost 50% off right now. Score! And, they totally had sizes big (and small) enough for both my boys so I can make them match for the holidays.

You are probably thinking, why make them match? And well, that is a great question. You see, we have a tradition of wearing matching pajamas every Christmas eve and Christmas morning while opening presents. My husband and I have matching camo pajamas and I always buy matching sets for my boys. So I was really excited I could a few matching sets in case some become dirty. With boys, they always become dirty!

That is something I hope my boys remember as they grow older so they can pass on that special moment with their own families. A pair of pajamas isn’t just a pair of pajamas, it’s so much more than that.

Celebrating The Holidays as One Big Happy Family

At Gymboree, they know that life is full of happy moments, the big and the small. Their campaign, One Big Happy, encourages every family to celebrate the special moments, no matter the size—the tooth fairy’s first visit, the family campout, the spontaneous dance parties, jumping into a pile of leaves, wrapping presents as a family, etc.

So this holiday season I encourage you to shop for outfits that will help you celebrate as One Big Happy Family! 🙂 You can learn more about the One Big Happy campaign here and also by watching the video below.

Giveaway Time!

Gymboree wants to help kid off your One Big Happy celebration by giving 1 lucky winner a $75 Gymboree Gift Card!

Entering is simple. Use the giveaway widget below and complete the tasks to earn entries into the giveaway. Giveaway open to US only. Giveaway ends 12/14/15. Good Luck!

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