Alison Brie Reveals Her Top Gifting Tip for the Holiday Season — and It's Not What You Might Expect! (Exclusive)

Alison Brie is no stranger to the stress of holiday shopping.

Like many, the actress relies heavily on gift guides throughout the busy season, but this year, she’s decided to become one herself. In Macy's new holiday campaign, Brie stars as the Gift Guide, helping customers discover the perfect gifts from the department store’s wide variety of brands.

“I truly have spent my life doing holiday shopping at Macy's,” Brie tells PEOPLE. “I grew up in South Pasadena, and there's a huge Macy's on Lake Street where I always remember doing my holiday shopping.”

“It tapped into some holiday nostalgia for me,” she added of the partnership. “I still love to do holiday shopping at Macy's, so it just made a lot of sense and felt very authentic.”

In the campaign ad, the Community alum wears a festive red ensemble and, with the help of her mentee played by Matt Bush, guides the viewer through a curated assortment of holiday items, from gifts to party attire.

“Macy's carries everything, so it's nice to have a one-stop shop, rather than a niche gift guide,” Brie tells PEOPLE. “I can do shopping for the whole family at Macy's, mom, dad, my sister, my little nephews, and have every type of option for them.”

Despite portraying a real-life gift guide, Brie admits she has yet to think about her own shopping list this year. “I'm going to be going through the Macy's gift guide,” she says. “Again, this is why I love to shop at Macy's. For a last-minute gift giver, it's great because you go there on a mission, and you just go from department to department being like, ‘Check, check, check.’”

When it comes to her favorite gifting moments over the years, Brie recalls giving her family members photos of her 2017 wedding to Dave Franco.

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“Nothing beats sentimental gifts that I've given to my family,” she says. “The year after Dave and I got married, we gave everyone framed photos from our wedding. It was really special because there were a bunch of pictures that people hadn't seen, and then you give it to them in a beautiful frame and it's something to put up in the house.”

Aside from leaning into sentimentality, Brie's top gifting tip is to "always get a gift receipt."

"It's just nice to have a gift receipt because you go, 'Oh, good. They get the thoughtfulness. I put the work in to try to think of something that they might like, and then they can quietly exchange it for something that they might like better, and I don't even have to know,'" she explains.

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This year, Brie's holidays are going to look a little different. On Thanksgiving, she and her family are forgoing their traditional potluck to attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, where Brie is cutting the ribbon.

"I feel like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is like definition monoculture," she says. "I can just picture the huge Snoopy balloon. It's etched into my brain, as long as I can remember. So, I'm so excited to be doing that."

Macy's 2024 holiday campaign begins on Monday, Oct. 28, and will highlight different gifting moments, Black Friday deals and last-minute gifting throughout December.