With the holiday season in full swing, shoppers are rushing to the stores to check off all the items on their Christmas shopping list.  Although the biggest shopping days of the year are Black Friday and Cyber Monday, shoppers can still score some great deals on different items throughout the season.

A concept that has been becoming more and more popular is the idea of Christmas after Christmas.  Stores have major markdowns after the holidays, especially on clothes, home decor, and toys.  With all of the new spring apparel entering stores after the holiday season, stores throw huge discounts on clothes from the fall and winter seasons on top of sending out coupons.

Why not use up those christmas gift cards and get more bang for you buck by going to the after Christmas sales? Stores like Target, Macy’s and Best Buy have great money saving deals.

One of the main pros for saving the big time shopping for after Christmas is gift cards. Odds are that shoppers will get multiple gift cards from friends and family. The end of the holidays are a great time to spend it.

During the holiday season people do a lot of impulse shopping, especially on clothes. Waiting after Christmas is over might provide shoppers with a calmer shopping experience which will allow them to think before they buy.  Shoppers will be thankful for that when they pick up a new spring essential instead.

Another pro of after Christmas shopping is that you’re able to avoid the “double gift.”

It happens (almost) every year.

You put something on your list for Santa, and multiple family members buy it for you.

The result?

You’re stuck having to wait in the agonizingly long lines at customer service just to get store credit (from which you then proceed to try and find something to spend it on). By waiting until after Christmas to do your shopping, you can avoid the double gift situation and instead of waiting for an hour in a customer service line, you can spend your time shopping around stress-free.

However, there are cons to this approach to holiday shopping that cannot be dismissed.

Although you might avoid some of the holiday shopping crowds, the stores can still get crowded because of all the people that are returning and exchanging gifts.

On top of that, you’re taking a risk that they might not have what you went for in stock or in your size, and the stores aren’t restocking at this point because they’re trying to get rid of all the past merchandise to make room for the new things. You might likely better off buying anything that you have your eye on before December 25 and saving the general shopping for after.

Another dilemma? “Leftovers.”

If you don’t get to the store at the start of the after Christmas sales, they’ll most likely be sold out of the best deals, popular items, and most common sizes.

While you might be able to score good prices and avoid some of the hectic Christmas shopping and crowds, you may also get stuck with the left overs and end up not finding what you’re looking for. It can be less stressful to avoid some shopping during the holiday season but you’ll end up having to hunt around the stores after which can be just as stressful.

In the end, some may ask the question, “Would Christmas be the same if you didn’t get to unwrap of your presents on Christmas morning?”