Christmas is usually quite stressful at the best of times.

Finding a car park to do the Christmas shopping, fighting your way through the masses without losing the kids, standing in endless queues and planning seating arrangements to minimize family arguments might pale into insignificance as our first ever COVID Christmas bears down upon us.

If anything, 2020 has taught us to appreciate good health and that being with our loved ones is what counts the most. COVID has also had a huge impact on our working lives and ability to earn $$$. With our first ever COVID Christmas approaching, now is the perfect time to think about giving and receiving gifts that matter and are not wasted.

We have decided this year to find out what our loved ones actually want or need, and make sure our time with family and friends is memorable, fun, joyful and safe!

Here are our top five tips to not just survive, but to thrive the upcoming festive season..

1. Want to make sure you know what gifts to give? Want to make sure you get the gift you need? Help us create a fantastic solution for you by filling in our SURVEY by Wednesday 18 November, 2020. You will go in the draw to Win one of three $100 gift vouchers from K-Mart or Prezzee.

2. Make some extra money this year by filling surveys (like the one above), or joining other survey companies such as Toluna, Survey Compare, or PureProfile. You can also register on platforms like Airtasker, Freelancer & Fiverr and advertise your skills or apply for small jobs to earn some extra $$$$.

3. Get shopping now! Think mid-week shopping if you are going to the shopping centre. Less crowds make it easier to observe social distancing rules of 1.5m. Just think – more parking spaces, less lines to queue up in and more time to enjoy shopping and coffee time.

4. If you are more of an online shopper like us, make sure you check Australia Post parcel delivery dates! COVID has created a whole new level of demand on postal services, so make sure you get your parcels in the mailbox sooner rather than later!

5. Planning planning planning. Christmas has definitely snuck up on us this year and really hit us hard with travel plans. If you do need to travel, book tickets now. COVID has sent travel costs through the roof, so get in now if you can. Make sure you also know what the rules are for home gatherings too. You can still have a fantastic Christmas with restrictions in place just think you could have multiple parties over different times or days.

So, with some good upfront planning, this COVID Christmas could be your best one yet! Let us be the winners in this pandemic and continue pull together to support, nourish and help each other through this unique time in history!