Tips of the Trade
8 Reasons To Bid Your Way Through The Holidays
‘Tis the season to be jolly, even when you’re braving the Black Friday cashier line or stuck in stop-and-go traffic on the pilgrimage to many a-family gathering – gifts, kids, and casseroles in tow. For many, the holidays are not all carols, cards, and cookies. It can feel like a downright marathon (in a puffer jacket, no less)! That’s why we’ve compiled a list of reasons why you should keep bidding while you bid good tidings – be it alone in line for the bathroom at the office soirée, or with the whole family in footed pajamas under the tree.
1. You can ensure you get a present this year you actually want.
Maybe you didn’t make the Nice List. Or maybe you overslept and missed the appliance and power tool doorbuster deals, or you didn’t drop enough 24 karat/carat hints to your Secret Santa. Whatever the case, bidding on a handful of things you’d actually like, love or use is a great way to make sure your Christmas morning isn’t clouded with disappointment – or worse – a lumpy stocking full of coal.
2. Pine needles. They are sharp and they are everywhere.
And hey, you don’t look busy, so it might be a good idea to open your laptop elsewhere to avoid being tasked with gathering the billion scattered shards of the tree with little more than your bare hands and Grandma’s ancient cordless Dustbuster. You can say you’re waiting for the battery to charge. (But really you’re just bidding on some fancy, fine and needle-less faux firs.)
3. Not everyone understands or loves football.
Don’t feel left out, get in the competitive spirit and start placing bids while the rest of the fam is placing bets on the game. And then just yell at the television or cheer when everyone else does.
4. Bidding burns calories.
When it comes to fighting the post-holiday meal bulge, old-fashioned exercise is probably your best bet. However, if you aren’t arm’s reach from an elliptical machine, know that a mouse click burns approximately 1.42 calories. A finger tap on the smartphone is only slightly less. So, depending on how heated the auction gets for that hot little handbag, you could potentially fit in a workout from wherever you’re bidding.
5. The family that bids together…
Whether you’re bidding together or against each other, it will definitely be a fun alternative to the annual argument over whose turn it is to wash the post-turkey dishes, cutlery and serveware.
6. You forgot to get someone a gift.
Or your brother brought his on-again-off-again significant other to dinner and, hooray, she brought you a present. Say you need to get more wine from the kitchen, scrawl out a card explaining her gift is in the mail, and clandestinely bid on a trinket she’ll love. Awkward crisis averted.
7. There’s a lot of waiting around.
Tick tock. Watching the clock while the oven preheats, waiting in line at the store, or just waiting for Santa to come down the chimney – bidding is a good way to keep idle hands productive during the season.
8. Get a head start on next year’s gifting!
While you’re opening presents, take notes on what the hits and misses are and get your bids going for next year. Is Great Aunt Claire eyeing that crystal brooch you gave your mom? Would a vintage decanter look slick on Cousin Julie’s new bar cart? Could Dad use a new turntable to play the Beatles stereo vinyl box set you got him this year? One thing’s for sure, when the holidays roll back around next time, you’ll be glad you bid.
