The holiday season is one time of year everyone has a reason to celebrate. It’s also the time of year when everyone is eager to find the perfect gifts—to give and to get.
But as we all learned last year, holiday gift shopping during a pandemic means short supplies in every area, from toys to tech to the latest gift-worthy gadget. Popular items sell out fast, and shipping delays are to be expected. It’s no surprise then that this year, the holiday shopping rush is already on.
Nancy Lee, president of leading universal gift registry platform MyRegistry.com, notes that tens of thousands of MyRegistry users are avoiding the gift crunch by setting up their online holiday gift lists early and sharing them with family and friends. “We see a huge jump in Christmas wish lists each year,” says Lee. “But heading into this holiday season, we’ve seen an unprecedented increase in holiday activity already from early October, as people try to avoid the risk of not getting the gifts they want for themselves and their loved ones.”
Making the Most of the New Normal
During the past year-plus, we all got used to doing pretty much everything from home—including a lot of online shopping—and at this busiest time of year, a digital Christmas gift list is the ultimate in convenience.
But the advantages of creating a holiday wish list go beyond merely saving time and avoiding trips to a crowded mall. The real benefit is making it as easy as possible to get and give exactly what you and everyone on your shopping list hope for, so every gift is a hit. How can they not be? They’re chosen by the recipients themselves! No more guessing what the teenagers in your life might like, no more hoping your significant other will finally read your mind. And if you’re a parent of young children, imagine the ease of linking relatives to a wish list when they ask what your kids would like for Christmas.
The past year has also prompted many of us to focus on what really matters to us. Perhaps we don’t want more unnecessary “stuff” at home, and maybe we’d like to only give and receive gifts that feel truly meaningful. In that spirit of mindfulness, curated wish lists allow us to be more intentional with gifting (as well as eliminate waste and avoid time spent returning gifts).
So How Does a Wish List Actually Work?
Wedding and baby registries have been popular for years. With a holiday wish list, the concept is the same: All the gifts someone would like to receive are grouped together, along with the information that makes it easy to purchase and deliver them.
You can create a holiday wish list with a service like MyRegistry.com, where you can combine all your gifts from multiple stores—big-name retailers, favorite local shops, and any online site—onto one list that’s easy to share with a single link.
“MyRegistry has completely changed the way people create gift lists for every gift-giving occasion,” says Lee. “Now, with Christmas and other year-end holidays coming up quickly, we’re encouraging new and existing users to create their holiday wish lists early to make it easy on themselves and the friends and family who’ll be shopping for them.”
MyRegistry’s user-friendly system makes creating, managing, and shopping from a wish list stress-free, even for people who might not feel 100% comfortable with technology. The world becomes a virtual department store with MyRegistry’s browser extension, which lets users go online and add gifts to their wish list with a simple click. And for those who prefer to see and touch before they choose, the MyRegistry.com app turns a smartphone into a scanner that can be used to add gifts right from a store shelf.
And if you feel a little uneasy outright asking for what you want, consider this: What’s more special at the holidays than connecting with friends and loved ones? By exchanging gift lists, you’re sharing an opportunity to make one another happy by ensuring that each and every gift is unwrapped with a smile.
Make the Holidays Easy on Yourself (and Others)
There’s a lot going on in the world right now, but you can at least simplify your holiday to-do’s with an online gift list. Everyone in your life will thank you for taking a little bit of the hassle out of holiday gift shopping!
Does Your Organization Want to Create a Holiday Toy Drive?
MyRegistry also makes it easy for nonprofits and other organizations to conduct holiday toy drives or seasonal fundraising efforts entirely online, for the safety of their donors, employees, and volunteers. Those who want to donate a gift or offer financial support can support a cause close to them from anywhere, in just minutes. MyRegistry’s tried-and-true technology is capable of powering even the largest gift lists. Learn more about holiday collections with MyRegistry.
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