Let’s be clear, holiday shoppers: Which one do you fear most — and let’s be real — getting a letter from IRS or having to make a decision? “perfect”Gifts for everyone on your gift list

You don’t have to be embarrassed if the former is what you chose. Consumer Reports says that the holidays are becoming increasingly difficult to achieve Santa Claus, despite all the pressure. “can bring out the Grinch”Even the best of us.

Here are some tips and tricks to save yourself from this fate.

* Don’t think risking life and limb at door-busters is the only way to get the best deals. Assuming, and this is a huge assumption, that you are among the lucky ones who land a $169 39” HDTV, it makes no sense to wait outside in the cold for a store opening. DealNews reports, after many instances of people being trampled and abused by Crowds Gone Crazed (Crowds Gone Crazed), that more retailers are offering similar deals online.

* Do try an online gift registry. MyRegistry.com is the most popular of all. It allows members to compile their own wishlists of items found on almost any store’s websites. And, here’s what’s even more exciting for gifters and recipients: they can share their lists via e-cards and Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

“I hear so many stories of people telling me, ‘You won’t believe the [ridiculous] present my husband got me for Christmas last year,'”Nancy Lee, President of the company, says that they have received over 120 million gift requests from customers since 2005. “This just totally eliminates that.”

Even if you aren’t into social media, it shows you what gift requests are in trend at any given moment. There’s also a new option where you can give cash gifts. This is useful for people who don’t have the time to social media, or for those who want to make a gift that will help pay for a winter vacation that the giftees let slip.

* Don’t be so sure your gift cards get used. According to the National Retail Federation an estimated $2 billion of these cards went unredeemed in 2013. You can decide if they are a scam or not.

Take note, stallers: Grabbers of anything on the shelves are not going to win you any brownie points. “Remember that workout DVD?”AskMen.com’s one-man warning was issued by one writer. “So does she.”