Get ahead for Christmas

How do you handle it?  Is it a stress or a pleasure?  Is the run-up different to the aftermath, and  does the experience vary for men and women?

In general, it seems that the woman of a household carries the burden of most of the family’s present shopping.  Perhaps women enjoy it more or naturally fall into the role because, traditionally, they’ve done the lion’s share of the household shopping? 

There tends to be a difference in the timing of present shopping between men and women too.  Some women are bagging the bargains right from the January sales the year before, some get restless in June and others make a start in September.  We can’t all be like that, but it does look as if men lumber up to the starting post later – and if you’ve ever watched the shoppers on Christmas Eve, you’re sure to see a few bag-laden, frantic males snatching at the perfumes and lingerie.

Online ordering makes life a little easier these days, unless you enjoy the lights, the music and the jostling in the malls.  Those who like to keep life simple can get it all done in one afternoon at the computer and why not?  It gets delivered to your door in neat packages and jobs a good ‘un.

Surfing online through Gabriel Ash’s range of products may not be the first place you go to start your present shopping – not everyone decides to surprise their spouse with a new greenhouse for Christmas!  But take a look around and you’ll find garden hand tool sets, propagators, cold frames and seed trays of a quality unsurpassed at many retail outlets.  And if he or she really loves gardening, the greenhouse isn’t such a bad idea ….