Shopping online for Christmas

"Tis the season to be jolly..." but not at the shopping centres and malls. From the moment you pull into the car park the stress begins to build. There are no parking places. Be prepared to lurk like a hunter seeking prey just to be able to leave your vehicle. And once you step inside the incessantly sliding doors, the true fun begins. There are people everywhere, rushing about importantly clutching an array of shopping bags and an errant child or two. Cues to get into the stores. Cues to get out. Worst of all, the carefully thought out list is vanquished by the mayhem. It becomes totally impossible to recall who you need to buy for, let alone what item you had in mind. You become one of many dazed shoppers walk around stopping suddenly, darting this way and that, vainly trying to remember what they are there for.

I live in a small Australian country town, far from any plaza, mall or shopping centre, even if I had the urge to face the chaos. This year I have done my shopping online. Oh the bliss! No cuing for my computer, freedom to browse more stores than I could ever bear to visit in real life. And as forced budgeter, it is a click or two more to find the cheapest stockist with the best postal rate, and then another moment or two to read other shoppers' reviews to ensure I have made the best choice.

So where to shop? Some people are wary of shopping online, largely for security reasons. Sites like Shopsafe provide tips and lists of sites that use secure payment methods. When you are making a payment, ensure that there is a little lock symbol to the left of the address.

Sites like Amazon have a great range of products to sell, and many product reviews. Great for the shopper who wants to compare several different like items before making a decision. However, for those who live in Australia, items can take a while to arrive, and shipping costs is an important consideration.

For books it is hard to go past the book depository. This site is based in the UK, has fabulous prices on a huge range of books. Best of all, shipping anywhere in the world is free. In my experience it is also very fast. This Wishing Chair collection is going under my tree this year.

I am passionate about caring for the environment, and really like Biome for its ecologically friendly gift ideas. These cups are featuring on my Christmas gift list for friends.

If something handmade is more your style, Etsy is a fabulous place to look for unique gifts. It is hard to not buy something for yourself while you are at it though. For those in Australia who prefer to shop locally, the Madeit site is sure to please.  And of course, Ebay - for just about anything you can think of.

If you are looking for a specific item, entering it into Google is bound to bring up an online stockist convenient to you. If you are stuck for gift ideas, googling the age and gender of the recipient is bound to bring up some present ideas.

An our or two later, your Christmas shopping can be ordered, paid for and on its way. While you are sipping your coffee, feet up, with no need to remember where on earth you parked the car.