It's that time of year again; peace on earth, good will toward man, and shopping as a marathon sport. Right? Not necessarily.

As we head into November here in the U.S., we're rounding the corner on what is typically the most stressful time of the year for Americans. Nevermind the joy of coordinating with family -- so often far-flung, in our culture, as well as most of us having to deal with relatives, step-relatives, and in-laws -- for everyone's various holiday celebrations, but it's Gimme time. Bring on the gifts! And somehow, we're all supposed to 1) know what everyone wants, 2) be able to afford it, 3) have time to buy it, and 4) insist "it was nothing."

Don't panic! I am here to tell you that with a few tricks up your sleeve, you needn't dread holiday shopping. It's fun to get presents, and it should be fun to give them, too. You should be able to shop without stress and without debt, rendering the gifting portion of the holiday season a pleasure rather than a burden. Pinky swear! All you need is a few basic guidelines.

Do it early. The easiest way to avoid the holiday crush, of course, is to shop throughout the year as you find things on sale. This tends to work well if you're buying for people who collect things or who always want the same sort of thing, and if you have storage space and are organized enough to keep track of what you've already bought. This is something to keep in mind for future years, though I know you're thinking it's not much use to you now. But actually -- it is. Did you know that a majority of Americans don't start their holiday shopping until after Thanksgiving? You still have three weeks in which to shop before people start going insane in the middle of Target. Get moving.

Do it online. In this day and age, you can buy nearly everything online. And given the cost of gas, you're not only saving yourself aggravation by skipping the mall, you're probably saving money, too. (Double bonus: If you're a parent, you don't have to drag your kids with you!)

Assume there's a better deal. The real beauty of online shopping is that there are always deals to be had. There are coupons and codes for money off or free shipping, and plenty of sites feature regular sales. Deal tip discussion forums abound on the internet. There's also no shortage of bloggers who specialize in sharing their bargain finds with you, if you can't be bothered to comb the deal sites yourself. While I obviously think Want Not is your best bet in terms of both deals and entertainment (written by the wonderful and witty... oh, alright, fine, it's written by me), there truly is something for everyone. Got a baby? Check out Baby Cheapskate. Seriously, you can't go too far on the internet before you trip over a deal site. Find the one that speaks to you and read it regularly. At the very least, never make an online purchase before Googling for available coupon codes!

Membership has its privileges. Assuming that you have credit cards which you know how to use responsibly (you use them like cash, buying only what you can afford, paying the balance every month), investigate any partner deals your card might offer. My Discover card, for example, allows me to use my Cashback Bonus dollars towards gift certificates. For some stores, my $20 gets me $40. For others, $20 only gets me $25, but that's still $5 more than I had before. It's worth checking out.

When you shop in person, don't be afraid to haggle. Nowadays people assume that the marked price is the price, period. But some of my best deals have been gotten simply by asking for a discount. No, really! If it's the last one of something, or if it has a slight blemish of some kind, most stores will take some money off. The worst that can happen is that they say no, but if you don't ask you don't get. (Just smile a lot and be exceedingly polite. "I was just wondering if since this is the last one..." or whatever you feel compelled to say. If a sales associate can't help you, ask if you could ask a manager. You'll need to bring your confidence but this one works a lot more often than you might think.)

Less is more. Don't give in to the "get more stuff" temptation. Don't most of us already have more than enough stuff? If you're part of a big family where the holidays have somehow devolved into endless hours of folks ripping into presents, maybe it's time to suggest that everyone draw a name rather than having everyone buy for everyone else. If you have kids, start forming traditions that keep the consumerism down. At my house, we celebrate Christmas, and Jesus got three presents from the Wise Men, so the kids get three presents. No more. (Dude, it was good enough for Jesus and it's good enough for them.) I have a friend whose son loves building sets (Lego and the like) and so she actually gives him a set in pieces over the eight nights of Hanukkah. Nowhere in any religious text I've ever read does it say that he with the most toys wins.

It really is the thought that counts if you do it right. "It's the thought that counts" is not a panacea for a lousy gift, but often the gift that means the most is not the one that cost a lot, but the one that you really put some effort and care into. Know thy recipient. A tightwad such as myself, for example, is going to appreciate any "luxury" she's unlikely to purchase for herself -- and that may include relatively inexpensive items, depending on who the recipient is. (I can totally be won over with good coffee or a CD I've been coveting, for example, because I rarely spend on myself.) Someone who loves to cook may delight in a small kitchen gadget that someone else would think was junk. And while I'm never going to tell anyone to go make macrame plant holders or anything, some people -- like, say, grandparents -- really are going to appreciate a photo calendar (for which you have a coupon, natch) or picture album or framed kiddie artwork more than something that costs five times as much.

Bundle purchases for greater savings. Oftentimes for things like gift certificates, there will be an offer where buying four gets you one free or somesuch. Keep all the folks you're shopping for in mind and you'll be ready to take advantage of such deals when they come along.

Don't be a trendsetter. It's when you decide to buy exactly that thing that you run out of options, or at the very least, that you end up going out on Black Friday at four in the morning in the hopes of snagging one of only ten Must Have Item Of The Years. I'm sure that Elmo Barbie is really swell, and all, but she was selling for over $100 last year before Christmas, and last week I saw her for under $10 on Amazon. Is there anything you and yours simply must have right now that's worth the mark-up and the hassle? Probably not. A little patience can save you a lot of money.

Think outside the (wrappable) box. January is a consumer lull; everyone overextended their finances in December, and no one is going out to eat or hitting the spa or taking sky-diving lessons. If you're buying for someone who might enjoy an experience rather than a thing, consider a card detailing the exciting thing you'll be doing together in the new year -- then wait to purchase it. Chances are there will be a discount available, post-holidays.

Know thy budget and keep it sacred. No amount of savvy shopping is going to save you if you're simply buying more than you can afford. Set a budget early on, and stick to it. [If you're of strong constitution you can supplement your holiday spending limit by offloading some extras along the way (either on eBay or CraigsList). This is the time of year when everyone will be shopping, so the good news is that you'll probably have success selling; the bad news is that people are desperate and cranky. So pick your battles. Don't start eBaying stuff if it's going to drive you nuts.] And if you spend less than you anticipated on something, pat yourself on the back and save the difference. You may need it for a different gift that costs more than you expect, or maybe your washing machine will blow up on Christmas morning and you'll be glad that you didn't squander that money after all. Who knows.

Keep it in perspective. I talk to people all the time about how to shop smart and little tricks to get the best deals, and while I'm all about the great savings and the bargain high and all of that, my number one piece of advice is this: Give back. We should all be doing it all the time, but particularly in this season of consumerism, make a conscious effort to keep spending in its place. Do this by giving to charity -- either with your money or your time, or (ideally) both -- so that when it comes to the last Blu-Ray or whatever, you will easily remember that there are more important things in life. Nothing shapes us into smart spenders quite like a conscious commitment to appreciate what we already have.

Now go out there and have some fun doing your holiday shopping. Just remember -- friends don't let friends pay full retail.

Contributing Editor Mir also blogs about issues parental and otherwise at Woulda Coulda Shoulda and Cornered Office, as well as sharing the joys of mindful retail therapy at Want Not.