Smart Packing Starts With Smart Shopping

Packing so little that you don't have to check a bag—because of the fee and/or the wait at the bag drop and baggage claim—is harder at Christmas, at least if you're the kind of person who gives gifts. (Scrooge and the Grinch needn't worry.) I've been flying at Christmas for 22 years now, and I've learned that you have to think about packing from the moment you start shopping.

• Shop online when possible, and have items shipped to the destination.

• I don't feel comfortable paying to have stuff gift-wrapped, so I plan on doing it once I get there. (It can be nice to have a reason to lock yourself in a room for an hour or two.) Naturally, you want to make sure no one opens the boxes as they arrive. If the gift is for my dad, I have it shipped to my mom, and I email her to watch for a box from Amazon. Another option is to come up with a fake first name (such as Rudolph or Blitzen?) and then warn the recipient that any boxes for Rudolph are not to be opened. If you're going to a hotel, let the hotel know you'll be having items shipped to them, find out to whose attention they should go, and include your name and "Guest checking in [date]" in the shipping address. 

• Gifts that I buy in stores that aren't breakable or valuable—such as stocking stuffers—I send in the U.S. Postal Service’s Priority Mail flat-rate boxes (above). They're a good deal, particularly for packages traveling long distances, and they're small enough that I can use the automated postal machines. Where I live, the post office is like something out of the Soviet era.

• Gift cards are a cop-out, but sometimes you have no other choice. The upside: They tend to ship for free, and if you prefer to buy them in a store, they're a breeze to pack. You can make them less lame by decorating a card and/or envelope. (If you have kids, put 'em to work!) Also, should you forget to buy Uncle Bill something, you can pick up a gift card at one of the major retailers that have taken over airports in recent years.

• Remember not to wrap gifts before you fly, because the TSA might choose to unwrap them. 

• Normally, I'm not a fan of gift bags, but I stash a few at the bottom of my luggage. They make for less wrapping once I'm there (although I may stay locked in that room anyhow), and less paper and ribbon to cadge off my family.