When to Start Christmas Shopping

The short answer

If you want a single date, start your list in October and begin buying in November. Start earlier if you have a large family, a tight budget, or gifts that need to be made or customized. Start later if you prefer to buy at the last minute and are comfortable with fewer choices and shipping risks. A reasonable pattern for most households is: list in October, major purchases in the Black Friday window, shipping orders finished by mid-December and local shopping and wrapping in the final week.

Why starting early helps

There are three practical reasons. First, spreading purchases across months spreads the cost, which avoids a single large bill in December. Second, early shopping gives you time to compare prices and take advantage of sales. Third, you avoid shipping delays, stock-outs and the stress of last-minute choices. Early buyers also have time to return or exchange gifts that do not work, and extended holiday return windows often start in November.

There are reasons not to buy too early, too. Prices on some categories, such as winter clothing, tend to fall closer to Christmas. Gifts bought too early can be forgotten or lost. And a person's interests can change in a year, especially children's. Buy early for items you are confident about and late for items that depend on trends or sizes.

Month-by-month plan

January to March: reset and save

After Christmas, note what worked and what did not. Write down gift ideas as people mention them. Set up a savings account or envelope for gifts, and contribute a small amount each month. Take advantage of after-Christmas sales on wrapping paper, cards, decorations and storage.

April to June: slow and steady

Review your list and mention to family that you plan to simplify, if you do. Look for early sales on items that are not seasonal, such as tools, kitchenware and books. Many retailers hold mid-year sales in which electronics and appliances see discounts.

July to September: the early-bird window

Some people buy gifts during summer sales, particularly tech and toys, and during back-to-school promotions. Make a first draft of your budget with our budget planner. Book travel for the holidays, since airfares and accommodation tend to rise as December approaches. Order custom or personalized items, such as photo books and engraved gifts, which take longer.

October: build the list

Write your list of people, ideas and budgets using our gift list template. Use the gift finder to find ideas. Check for early deals and start setting price alerts on big-ticket items. This is the best time to buy gifts that need to be shipped from overseas, and to order Advent calendars before they sell out.

November: the major buying month

Early-November promotions give you a first chance at discounts. Black Friday, on November 27, and Cyber Monday, on November 30, are the peak days for electronics, toys and appliances. Our Black Friday guide covers strategy. Order items that need personalization. Check return policies. Make a list of what remains to buy.

December 1 to 15: finish shipping orders

By the middle of December, finish orders that must be shipped. Most carriers publish cutoffs between December 15 and 22 for different services; see our shipping deadlines page. Mail cards and packages to faraway relatives. Wrap gifts as they arrive. Buy stocking stuffers.

December 16 to 24: local shopping and wrapping

Super Saturday is December 19. Use store pickup and local shops for the remaining gifts. Finish wrapping by December 23. Do grocery shopping early on December 23 or 24, and avoid peak times. Remember that stores close early on December 24. Keep a small list of last-minute options; see our last-minute guide.

After Christmas: returns and next year's notes

Return or exchange gifts that do not fit using the policies in our return guide. Take advantage of clearance sales. Record what you bought and what worked. Start the cycle again with a note in your phone.

Adjusting the plan for your situation

Large families: start in September, set a spending limit per person and consider a Secret Santa or a children-only rule. Tight budgets: save a small amount monthly, pick fewer gifts and consider handmade or experience gifts. Busy parents: use one shopping session in November and buy as many gifts as possible from a single retailer to save shipping costs. Overseas relatives: ship by the first week of December and check customs rules. Procrastinators: choose digital gifts, local shops and experiences, and keep a few gift cards on hand.

Common mistakes

Waiting for a bigger discount that never comes, buying more than the list requires because everything is on sale, forgetting about shipping cutoffs, ignoring return windows, not tracking spending and forgetting to buy wrapping supplies and batteries. A simple spreadsheet or list prevents most of these problems.

Using price tracking

Choose a price tracker or retailer app, and add the products you want to a watch list in October. Note the lowest price, and decide the price at which you will buy. Do not buy immediately when you receive an alert if you are not sure that the product is right. Compare the price with other retailers and check the seller. Cancel alerts after you buy.

A sample budget calendar

Suppose your total holiday budget is $900, including gifts, food, decorations, cards and postage. Divide it roughly into $450 for gifts, $250 for food and entertaining, $100 for decorations and wrapping and $100 for travel, cards and extras. If you start saving in January, that is about $75 a month. Use our budget planner to split the gift portion across people, and note actual spending as you go. If you overspend early in the season, you can adjust later by reducing the number of gifts or switching a few to homemade or experience gifts.

Tracking progress

A list with four columns is enough: who, idea, price and status. Status can be "idea", "bought", "wrapped" and "delivered". Update it whenever you buy something, and review it every Sunday in November and December. If you see too many "idea" entries by December 1, move to simpler gifts. If you see gifts that are not wrapped by December 20, block an evening to finish. The gift list template on this site saves in your browser and prints cleanly for a refrigerator copy.