It's only mid-November, but the holiday music — and shopping chaos that comes with it — has seeped through retailers and consumers alike. Extended hours, frenzied gift-seekers and fear of a listed item being out of stock leads to elbowing and hostility. Long lines of fidgety children waiting to see Santa and live bands trumpeting carols can seriously lead to a stressful (or at least a sensory overloaded) shopping experience.

While the holidays are bound to evoke a sense of panic in shoppers from here to eternity, I dream of holidays spent abroad and wonder why shopping in December is infinitely more enjoyable in Amsterdam or Tel Aviv. Yes, the beach and warm temperatures help, but other frozen climates still seem to offer a decidedly more relaxing and enjoyable shopping experience than here in our beloved land.

Wondering exactly what essence it is we're missing here, I let my thoughts drift to holiday time spent in Euros or Australian dollars. Collections exclusively sold elsewhere are a start. The thrill of finding a piece you know will be 100 per cent original back home certainly gives a sense of accomplishment and gratification to every shopper searching for the perfect Christmas gift (or a little holiday personal pick-me-up — hey, we've all been there). But the more I think about my most pleasing holiday shopping experiences, they all have one distinct similarity: they are all a little fuzzy.

Thankfully, this isn't because my memory is giving out. Having a total 'EUREKA!' moment, I realize the most pleasurable holiday shopping jaunts literally have a glass half full. In the sparkling new and luxurious shopping centre Crystals in Las Vegas, your glass will be half full of the delightfully fizzy Moët and Chandon. Browsing the boutiques in the historical and charming Le Marais area of Paris will surely lead you to wander around with a cocktail, easily set upon a curio table while you shop. Looking for lingerie in the sexy São Paulo? A sweet and authentic caipirinha makes everything that much better. Perhaps it's the feeling of truly being 'served' by the sales associates while shopping in a store that contributes to an overall five-star shopping trip, or maybe it's the woozy haze of the alcohol that elicits feelings of cheer (and not the holiday kind).

From a retailer's perspective, a slightly buzzed shopper makes for a far superior experience on their end as well. Forking over $700 for a cashmere sweater was a piece of cake when I was easily swayed by the champagne and sweet talk while once on a slightly intoxicated shopping crusade. The sweater in question, although still gorgeous and deeply admired, sits folded perfectly in my "nice clothes" drawer because I'm terrified to wear it in fear of spilling or, God forbid, pulling. Maybe I just need to down a Ketel One and soda to get the same confidence to wear it as I did when I bought it.