Gifts for December: what to order in October and what can wait?
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
A three-block plan for December: what you arrange now for packaging and lists, what you buy and send in October and November, and what you deliberately postpone.
In mid-August, the gingerbread cookies are already back in stores, and that feels ridiculously early. Yet, this is precisely the time when it pays to take five minutes to think about December. Not to buy gifts now, but to decide what you should arrange early and what you can safely postpone. Because the things that go wrong in December are rarely the gifts themselves. It's the box that doesn't fit, the package that ships too late, and the budget that spirals out of control in two weeks.
Below is a plan in three blocks, with concrete items to get for each block. The dates are guidelines, not laws – adjust them to your situation.
Now until mid-October: Decide and Pack
Start with a list and a budget per person. It sounds boring, but it works better than any other trick: if you decide in October that it will be €15 per colleague and €40 per family member, in December you only need to look for gifts within that budget. Immediately note who will receive mail and who you will see in person. This distinction determines your packaging.
Furthermore, packaging material is the only item that becomes more expensive and scarcer in December, while it is readily available now. Here are a few boxes that do most of the work:
When choosing, pay attention to the height, not the length and width. That's the measurement people get wrong, and it's also the measurement that determines whether something can fit through the letterbox. A box of 15 x 10 x 4 cm, such as the Red Shipping Box 15 x 10 x 4 cm (€ 1,99), is ample for a piece of jewelry or a gift card and remains shallow.
Mid-October to End of November: Buy and Send
This is the block where you buy the gifts themselves. Two reasons not to do it later: popular items sell out, and shipping gets busier as December progresses. Carriers publish last order dates for delivery before the holidays every year — check these on your carrier's website and add a few extra days for buffer.
Are you sending gifts to family? Package them double: the gift in its own box, and that box inside a shipping box or letterbox package. A White Packaging Box with Magnetic Closure 9.5x9x10 cm (€ 5.00) will look neat in transit because you don't have to tape it shut; the tape goes on the outer box. If you're sending many small items, a bundle is more economical: the Recycled Letterbox Box A6 - Bundle 100 pieces (€ 17.95) comes out to about € 0.18 per box.
If all goes well, in December you'll only do three things: wrapping, sending what still needs to be sent, and filling in the gaps. Gaps are the people you forgot — the neighbor who brings something over, the trainer, the colleague who suddenly joins the Secret Santa. Keep three neutral gifts on hand for these situations that anyone can receive. Think of a Porcelain Mug For My Best Friend 9.5 x 8 cm (€ 7.95), a UNO Flex Card Game (€ 6.99) or the 99-in-1 Game Set with Dice and Checkers Board (€ 14.95). If they remain unused, you can use them for a birthday in January.
For small thank-you gifts and giveaways, something practical works better than something funny: Keychains with Whistle – 5 pieces (€ 7.95) comes down to € 1.59 each and won't immediately disappear into a drawer.
Three mistakes that recur every year
Gift first, box later. Then in December you buy a box that doesn't quite fit, and you end up with wrapping paper around a shoebox. The opposite works better: choose a few standard sizes and find gifts that fit them.
Sending everything at once. Spread your shipments over two weeks. That saves queues at the package point and provides leeway if something goes wrong.
No budget per person. Without a predetermined amount, the last gift always becomes the most expensive because you're in a hurry.
Brief summary
Arrange your packaging and list in September and October, buy gifts in October and November, and keep December free for execution. It won't save money on the gifts themselves, but it will on the hurried purchases, oversized boxes, and express shipments that normally accompany them.
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