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Help for Christmas Shoppers Shopping for the perfect gift can be a difficult task at the best of times and Christmas shopping brings it to a whole new level. Hunting for all those gifts, walking the malls, battling the crowds, struggling with traffic, finding parking, it can drain the Christmas spirit out of the most avid holiday enthusiast. Ready to give up yet? Don't despair. There is some relief and oddly enough it comes via the internet. More and more stores are posting their merchandise and prices online, and it's not just the big chains. You'll find a lot of specialty shops, small town stores, even museum gift shops have hit the web. You can either order directly from your computer or leisurely peruse the merchandise and compare prices before you actually go out and shop. You can even get advice on what gifts to buy. Call it browsing and shopping or shop browsing, being able to do some of the ground work from home can save you a lot of time and spare you a lot of aggravation. It's also a lot easier on the environment and your pocketbook if you can reduce the number of car trips to the store. If you are interested in toys, you might want to start your search with the the Canadian Toy Testing Council. This non- profit organization has been testing toys for over 55 years. Toys are tested by Canadian children in everyday settings to assess design, function, durability and play value. The organization produces several reports but is probably best known for its yearly media release of The Children's Choice Best Bet Toys Awards. Here is the site http://toy-testing.org/ In the past, the high cost of shipping deterred many from online shopping. Now, some stores will ship for free if the order is over the minimum purchase requirement. You can ship to your home or have the gift shipped to the person to whom you are giving the gift. Some stores even provide gift wrapping. Here are a few of the stores that offer free shipping in Canada with certain requirements. TOYS"R"US Canada will ship free on purchases over $100 (up to $20 shipping costs) Chapters/Indigo provides free shipping for most orders totaling $25 or more after discounts and coupons Sears Canada offers free shipping for orders under 25 pounds. Amazon Canada offers free shipping on purchases of $25 or more Whether you choose to actually shop online or just use the internet to plan your purchasing, Christmas shopping will be a lot easier and possibly even enjoyable. Oh, the kettle is whistling. I've got to go. I'm making a cup of tea before I start shop browsing. Enjoy your shopping and have a very Merry Christmas.