I often ask this question to myself all the time. With the birth of the internet you can do all your shopping from home and save money. The price of gas just to get to the mall should be enough right there alone. If you figure you spend ten dollars to get to the mall and ten dollars to get back that is enough for another gift.
I didnt even mention the impulse buys that always seem to pop up when you are at the mall. This is more wasted money. If you took the time to go shopping for gifts online you could end up buying more gifts for more people. You could also use the extra money that you save to buy more expensive gifts for your loved ones.
I could see if the internet wasnt safe, but in this day and age there are no more war stories about credit card fraud like there use to be. There are many sites on the internet that even point you to savings. Take a look at http://www.shop-for-christmas.com all they do is one thing and that is Christmas. You dont even have to surf the internet looking for these bargains.
You could go and look for coupons online also and that is a great way to save money on Christmas gifts. Place the words "Christmas Coupons" into your favorite search engine and you will be amazed at the results that come up.
Another good thing about shopping online is you dont have to fight the crowds at the mall, heck you can stay nice and dry too. No more chugging gifts thru the mall parking lot in a foot of snow or worse hail! I know I have been there before I wised up.
So take it from me and do your shopping online, you may have extra money to buy yourself a nice gift too.
