Not even the most jaded of shoppers can deny that now, in the first week of December, the Christmas shopping season is upon us.

Perhaps you were one of the many shoppers who managed to stumble out of bed in the wee small hours of the morning on Black Friday to participate in, proverbially, one of the most lucrative shopping days of the year.

Perhaps you opted instead to wait until the much-hyped Cyber Monday to begin your Christmas shopping.

But if you’re anything like us, you were just too busy — yes, even over the break — for all of that. And while all of us here love a bargain, the prospect of huddling outside of Target at 4 a.m. with a large crowd is, and probably will be for a long while, well outside the realm of possibility.

For those of you who can identify with these sentiments, The Collegian’s editorial staff would like to recommend a few Christmas shopping tips.

Don’t wait until the semester ends. It may seem like finals are approaching quickly, but in reality, the end of the semester isn’t until Dec. 21 — four days before Christmas. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for shopping, or anything really. Plan in advance — set aside some time in the middle of the day during these next few weeks to pick up a gift or two at the mall. Besides contributing to your own sense of industriousness, shopping midday and midweek is a great way to beat the rush of shoppers that flood stores during the weekends.

Remember, Fashion Fair and Riverpark aren’t the be-all and end-all of shopping options in Fresno. Both Sierra Vista Mall and the Fig Garden shopping center are just minutes from the campus, and both offer a wide range of stores, to help minimize the number of trips.

Furthermore, take the excitement surrounding Cyber Monday as a hint — shopping on the Internet isn’t as frightening as it may have been several years ago. Most popular online shopping venues are plenty reputable and can be a good place to score some deals, particularly if you don’t have a problem with giving away a used book or DVD. As an added bonus, taking this route opens up a whole world of possibilities for the time-impacted student -— you can shop late at night, in class or while you shave.

Finally, be willing to be creative. We don’t deny that your best friend will use that Starbucks gift card, but we can bet that both of you will have more fun with the gift that demonstrates a little more thought.

It may even save you from having to go out at all.