When I was younger I paid little attention to Christmas shopping and would always leave it until the very last minute. These days I am far better prepared and I do most of my Christmas shopping online well in advance.

But when I was a young man I would always leave my Christmas shopping until the eleventh hour on Christmas eve when most shops had already closed. Often the only place that was still open was our local all night gara.

This led to some memorable gift exchanges on Christmas morning. I recall one year I gave my brother a sack of barbecue charcoal and he gave me a half eaten kebab. That same year my mother received a pair of wiper blades for a Ford Mondeo (although she drove a Volkswagen) and a whole box load of car air fresheners. This was because I had left myself no options after spending the day drinking with friends rather than facing the crowds in the local shopping mall.

One of the potential advantages of last minute Christmas shopping is the chance of finding some great bargains. The economic downturn means that lots of people are tightening their belts and not spending as much so shops may be left with some cheap last minute bargains.

Or you could be unlucky and find that the shops have had a last minute rush, sold out of their Christmas stock and you are left with the local all night garage.

One way to avoid Christmas shopping hassle is to avoid it all together. Take the money that you would otherwise have spent on presents that may or may not have been wanted and donate it to your favourite charity. Or alternatively let people choose the charities you will be donating too. After all, Christmas is about giving and not receiving so it’s good to give to those who would benefit most from your generosity.

BTW – for some great Christmas gift ideas pay a visit to raymears.com. You’ll find some of the best quality outdoor clothing available online along with all those neat gizmos and gadgets used buy Ray in his TV series. And the Ray Mears DVDs and Books which would make ideal Christmas gifts for any lover of the outdoors.