For me, Christmas shopping seems to get more difficult, complicated and time-consuming every year. For one thing, my family keeps expanding, so I have more people to consider when purchasing gifts.

In addition, as all of my siblings inevitably grow older, I find it increasingly challenging to pick out thoughtful, appropriate presents. When you’re shopping for a six-year-old, all you have to do is raid the toy aisle; gifts for adults and older kids, on the other hand, typically require more nuanced forethought. Still, despite these and other challenges that naturally accompany the holiday season, I have a few tried-and-true methods for tackling various Christmas-shopping conundrums.

First, being a college student comes with at least one Christmas-shopping upside: You can always buy your family members Laker gear from the bookstore. You can’t go wrong turning your Laker pride into a family affair by getting your parents and younger siblings Grand Valley State University sweatshirts and T-shirts. Another plus side to shopping at the bookstore is that you don’t even have to leave campus, which helps circumvent the necessity of finding transportation if you’re stuck in Allendale and don’t have a car or time to head to Grand Rapids to shop.

On that note, another great option for when you’re stuck on campus is online shopping. I’ve found this method to be particularly easy and efficient, and it has largely solved my issue of finding the time to go to the store right when I have projects and papers due around finals. I now get most of my purchasing done via sites such as www.amazon.com, and doing so saves me a lot of time, energy and stress. In addition, there is such a vast array of gift options online that you can find just about anything you want.

Another problem that I and many others face when doing Christmas shopping is figuring out what to get for that one person who already has everything he/she could possibly want. For the person who has everything, you can’t go wrong with gifting an experience. Sometimes the most valuable present you can give isn’t a material object, but instead the opportunity for the recipient to create lasting memories. This could include going to a concert or a sports game, attending a dance class or simply spending the day together doing something you both enjoy. No matter what you choose, you can’t go wrong creating a memorable experience.

Finally, if you’re still drawing a blank about what to get someone, you can always play it safe and go the gift card route. Although gift cards sometimes get a bad rap for being impersonal, they really shouldn’t. Sometimes they’re simply the best option when you don’t know what else to buy, and then the recipient can get something that he/she truly wants.

While Christmas shopping certainly comes with its challenges, there are plenty of ways that you can get around them. I’ve found that buying Laker gear, finding creative presents online, gifting experiences and purchasing gift cards can help alleviate almost any shopping problem that you might run into this season.