Stephanie Finkelstein, gift expert and owner of The Elegant Setting offers these tips for shopping this holiday season:

Holiday Shopping Tip #1: Ship it to 9021, um, um - Oh I have no idea of the address: Be sure to go shopping with an updated address book. Many stores offer discounted and free shipping options this time of year. Save money and a trip to the post office by having stores ship directly to out-of-state friends and relatives. But you have to know the correct address!

Holiday Shopping Tip #2: What a thoughtful gift, mixed nuts and a trip to the hospital: Make sure you are knowledgeable of allergies and preferences when buying food gifts. Cousin Billy the vegetarian certainly won’t want a membership to The Sausage of the Month Club. And Families with young children may be dealing with nut allergies. If you aren’t 100% sure you aren’t causing a health risk, be safe and avoid food gifts.

Holiday Shopping Tip #3: Come to dinner when?? Tonight??: Be on the look out for hostess gifts that you can stock up on. This way you can always be prepared when last minute invites pop-up. Candles, stationary and picture frames are always a thoughtful “thank you” for a holiday hostess.

Holiday Shopping Tip #4: Christine, Kristine or is it Kristen?: As well as updated addresses, always have full names and proper spellings handy before going shopping. Monogramming is an ideal way to add that extra personal touch to gifts such as robes, totes and throws. Here at the Elegant Setting we see many customers having to make quick, stressful, last minutes calls for names and spellings. We love monogramming our speciality items and want our costumers to enjoy the experience.

Holiday Shopping Tip #5: Now, if only I had 100 bucks . .: Think about the pricing of your gifts and how the recipient will respond to it. Be sure to choose a comfortable and appropriate price range that reflects your relationship with the recipient. You don’t want to put anyone in the awkard position of feeling they must recipricate with a gift of equal value, if you give an overly expensive gift.

By To27 Contributor Stephanie Finkelstein, owner of Southampton’s The Elegant Setting.