Too Soon for Christmas Shopping? Not if You Stay Local

Written by Katie Ryan O'Connor

The commercials are already on full rotation. Shops are promising to open as early as 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day this year. 

Is this a national bid for the creation of (turkey) "Beige" Thursday to the omnipresent Black Friday? Or maybe we should call it SWT: Shopping While on Tryptophan.

Seems to me the holiday rush is starting earlier and earlier every year.

Here's my solution. Stay home, relax, digest that lovely spread of food someone planned for weeks in advance and shop locally—and at your leisure—instead.

Here are five ways you can still get a jump on Christmas shopping but not feel harried about it:

1. Focus Close to Home

It's easy to shop locally when you have a cute, walkable downtown with a ton of unique shops. Lucky you! But a little harder when you live in a typical suburb where the shopping can be summed up in two words: Big and box. But that doesn't mean there aren't local offerings to be had. You may just need to dig a little. 

Here's how:

2. Make it a Local Cyber Monday (Any Day)

You may not know that Etsy, the popular online portal to all sorts of handmade art, crafts and other goods, has local online and offline search options. For online, just plug in your location along the left search rail and they'll show you local sellers. Or you can go directly to Etsy Local to see where you can meet sellers—and see their wares—in person!

I quickly found a local merchant in my town who makes amazing custom backpacks (bookmark for next school year!) and when I searched a little farther afield, I made this great find: A vintage Christmas outfit for a toddler. 

And if you know a homesick ex-New Yorker living in the San Francisco Bay area, you can score this unique print for $26.   

3. Involve Your Social Network

They say it's who you know in life, but sometimes it's who your friends and family know. Ask them: "Any ideas for finding unique gifts nearby instead of joining the mad rush at big chains?" You'll probably receive great suggestions and comments, proving you aren't alone in your wish shop differently this year. 

4. Participate in Small Business Saturday

You can always choose to wait to shop. I don't know if I recommend doing it my Dad's preferred way—late Christmas Eve, five minutes before the jewelry store closes—but you can always wait until Nov. 30 and support local businesses as part of American Express Small Business Saturday. 

The SBS site features a portal where you can search for local businesses by type. 

Bonus: If you live in a lucky Patch town, you may get free parking that day too! Be sure to check back frequently. We'll let you know if your town will have a Park on Patch soon.

5. Share Your Knowledge

When I moved to a town with no family nearby, I came to depend on a small network of new friends and neighbors to tell me all the great places to shop nearby. Be that person! 

Share your tips in the comment section below and you may save a neighbor a nightmare trip to mall madness, all while shoring up the local economy. 

Now that's a holiday win-win—and no need to leave the Thanksgiving table early.