Will the millennials who are shopping for presents right now please stand up? Yes, I'm talking about you over there, with a bunch of tabs open on your browser, as you look through gift guides and the trending products from various stores. Per usual, you're multi-tasking. You're trying to find the best gifts, watching a television show on Netflix, and cringing at some of the price tags. (The struggle and snuggle are real.) Are you the only one feeling this way? Nope! Actually, there are things millennials understand about holiday shopping that nobody else does. Trying not to break the bank is just scratching the surface.
Honestly, sometimes you might feel like the Grinch. You love rocking those cozy sweaters and spending time with your family, but the holidays can be exhausting AF. You spend your entire weekend at the mall, listening to Christmas music on repeat, and walking laps around the stores with heavy bags in your hands. Since when did this season call for cardio and weight-lifting? Excuse me, I signed up for baking cookies and watching movies in fuzzy socks!
Then, you get home, and continue your shopping online and check things off the list you've been keeping in your phone. You find some memes in your camera roll that lighten the mood, and start to get excited about giving everyone their gifts. The reaction is always the best part, right? Well, that and knowing every millennial understands these seven things around the holidays, too.
Being a millennial means that you likely know every feature on your phone, and use them to your advantage. You make present idea boards on your social media accounts, and favorite the photos in your camera roll of certain things your mom or sister said they wanted. Then, when you go shopping, it's easy to remember exactly what you need to buy.
Around the holidays, you make a list in a note app, too, of the presents you've bought and for whom. During the stress of this season, it's nice to feel like you're organized and have a game plan.
Like many millennials, your biggest struggle around the holidays might be wanting to get the best gifts, but realizing they are expensive AF. You want to buy that gorgeous necklace for your best friend from her favorite brand, or treat your family to the new television they deserve. But, your bank account is shaking its head and saying, "Yeah, no."
So, you start joining rewards program like it's your job, and finding other ways to get thoughtful gifts at a good price. Cutting coupons has become your favorite activity, and you get notifications every time a sale is happening at your go-to stores. Is life always this expensive? Let me know.
Maybe it's because you love watching HGTV and Food Network, or just moved into your first apartment, but the home section of any store is your go-to for gifts around the holidays. You love roaming the aisles for picture frames, cute plant holders, and other decor. And it always comes across as so thoughtful when your friends and family open up a cozy blanket or item that's totally their style.
After you get back from the store, you wrap these gifts up all nice using ideas and #inspo you found on Pinterest. You use recycled wrapping paper or paper bags to save some money. You're a true millennial, huh?
As much as you love getting the latest makeup or travel products for your best friends and family, you tend to purchase experiences around this time of the year. You've just found that giving your people something fun to do is a lot better than picking up a sweater and putting it in a box.
In the past, you've gotten concert tickets at a local venue for your older brother, or passes to a wine tasting and tour for your best friend who's 21 or over. One day, you'd love to get your parents a trip to somewhere tropical that's on their bucket list. The opportunity to make once-in-a-lifetime memories is the best gift, after all.
The holiday stress can really get to you sometimes, so as a millennial, you've found new and exciting ways to lighten the mood. One word: Memes.
That's right. You're standing in a line at a store that feels like it goes on forever, and scrolling through Twitter or Instagram. Your best friend or mom (whoever's your shopping buddy that day) is complaining and saying, "What's taking so long," while you're laughing at your screen. You turn the phone around and show her a picture of SpongeBob SquarePants with a funny caption. Suddenly, standing in line isn't so bad!
When you're a millennial and in college, coming up with gift ideas is pretty easy. In fact, it just takes an hour spent in the bookstore on campus for you to get something for every person on your list.
You grab a crewneck sweatshirt for your dad, and a holiday ornament for your mom. Your brother is an avid basketball fan, so you pick him up something from one of your school's teams that he'll absolutely love.
As much as you'd love to get creative and find unique gifts for everyone, your time and wallet doesn't always allow it. (It's finals week, after all!) The bookstore is your finest back-up plan.
Avoiding malls and shopping centers is in your best interest around this time of the year. Your family always insists on taking a night and hitting up the stores for their sales and holiday deals. But, most of the time, you decide to just shop for everything you need to get online. (No parking lot fiascos for me, thanks!)
You've become a pro at scanning your email accounts for coupons, and hitting "Add To Cart." After a little bit of scrolling and comparing prices, you get everything shipped to your house. When it arrives, you know it's not for you, but still get excited to see a package on your doorstep. Why would anyone ever shop any other way? It's a millennial pro tip around the holidays, if you ask me.
