7 Christmas Planning To-Do’s You Can Tackle NOW
We’re officially in the second full week of November, so basically you’re about to blink and it’s going to be Christmas Eve. As we get closer to the holidays season, I’ve been thinking a lot about Christmas planning and general holiday prep. I’ve been trying to think of what I can do to make my life a little easier once December is actually here, and trying to cross some things off the list early.
So, in the spirit of being organized and actually being able to enjoy the holiday, here are 7 simple to-do’s you can tackle right now to help ease some of the weight of planning the Christmas chaos.
Christmas Planning Tips: 7 Ways To Make Life Easier Come December
Declutter 2-3 Small Spaces
I always get a bit of an itch to do some decluttering before Christmas. Between the Christmas decor and all of the new gifts that are brought into our house, it always feels good to take a minute for a quick reset. It’s a busy time of year, so you shouldn’t feel pressured to declutter a lot. Focus on just a few small areas – maybe your coat closet, the junk drawer, and your pantry.
The whole goal here is to lighten the load a bit mentally so that you don’t feel as many pressing to-dos once the holiday rolls around. Plus, it’s always easier to function in a clean and organized house. It’s just science.
Prep for Guests
Whether or not you have overnight guests coming for the holidays, it’s a good idea to do a little prep work for any guests you might have in general! If you do have overnight guests planned, a few things you could tackle include:
- Go ahead and wash sheets, fluff pillows, and get the guest bed ready.
- Make a basket with items your guests might need and have it handy.
- Stock up on your guests’ favorite snacks and drinks.
If you aren’t going to have overnight guests but you might be hosting, there’s still some prep work you can do!
- Make sure any guest bathrooms are well-stocked with soap and hand towels.
- Grab some extra toilet paper and stash it away.
- Go ahead and do some meal planning (and even purchase shelf-stable ingredients!) for upcoming meals you’ll be hosting.
This doesn’t have to be big or complicated. Just ask yourself what sorts of things you’re always scrambling to do in the days before guests arrive. Then, take care of what you can right now. You’ll thank yourself later.
Organize Your Calendar
I often wait until the holiday season is in full swing to sit and plan out my calendar in detail. Not this year! I’ve been checking in with my November + December calendars almost daily lately to make sure I’ve got every little thing already on them.
It sounds a little obvious, I know, but setting aside even just 30 minutes of intentional time to comb through emails to double-check dates can make a big difference. Make sure the calendar is in a spot where everyone can see it. Consider scheduling 10 minutes every week to check in with it! This time of year can get really crazy, and you’ll be glad you were on top of the schedule early.
Tackle Gift Shopping + Wrapping EARLY
Speaking of doing things early…have you started gift shopping yet?! I always dive into Christmas gift shopping pretty much the moment Halloween is over. And, December me is always so grateful for it.
Every year, I set a goal for myself to be completely done with Christmas gifts by the time Thanksgiving rolls around. I almost always manage it, and it really does allow me to settle into December without less stress. It’s so nice to know that the gifts are taken care of and I can just enjoy all of the holiday festivities without scrambling for last minute gifts.
If you want some bonus points here, go ahead and wrap those gifts and tuck them under the tree early, too! And if you really want to feel like a Christmas rock star, consider grabbing a couple of $20-ish gifts that would be good for anyone. Then, you have something ready to go for a last-minute hostess gift. Or, for that friend who got you a gift when you weren’t expecting it. I promise, you’ll thank yourself.
Restock the Basics
One thing I’m trying to be better about this year is making sure I’m well stocked on all the most common items we need. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sent my husband to the store at the last second for toilet paper or butter or chicken stock. Not this year, my friends. Instead, I made a quick list of all the staples our house uses all the time. Then, I added it to a regular grocery order. And now? Well, we’re fully stocked on things like toilet paper and paper towels for the rest of the year. And you know what? It feels GOOD!
I know many of you are more organized than me in this way. You Costco shoppers are sitting next to your piles of backstock and laughing. But, it’s still worth taking a minute to review and make sure you have what you need! There is not much in the world more annoying than a Christmas Eve trip to the grocery store for eggs.
Plan Ahead for Important Traditions
Most families have some special traditions they do every year. My family happens to have an inordinate amount of them, but that’s neither here nor there. Whether you have just one little tradition or 25, you can prep ahead a bit!
Make a quick list of all of the special traditions your family does. For us, that includes things like our activity advent calendar, baking cookies, and going out to see lights.
Wherever possible, go ahead and put things on the calendar. Buy the tickets for your post-Thanksgiving movie day. Stock up on icing for Christmas cookies. Ask yourself how you can make December you’s job a little bit easier when it comes to the family traditions. Now only will it lighten your mental load, you’ll be able to actually enjoy them more!
Meal Plan for the Rest of the Year
And finally, this is the one that’s probably going to make the most of you gasp in horror. But, hear me out!
Meal planning is the worst. There’s little I hate more than sitting down each week and thinking about what I’m going to feed these people. But, the flip side of that is that once the meal planning is done and I don’t have to think about it anymore, it feels SO GOOD!
Since the rest of the year is pretty much guaranteed to be nutty, take a second to make your job easier. Plan out themes for each night of the week (Taco Tuesday! Pasta Thursday!) and list out some meal ideas in each category. Then, plug each of them into a list or calendar to fill out the rest of the year.
It might sound like a lot, but I swear there’s something magical about it. As you do your grocery shopping each week you’re going to feel so relieved to not have to start by brainstorming meals. And anytime you can give yourself a little relief during the holiday season is a major win!
Hopefully this little list has given you a little bit of inspiration for making your holiday season less chaotic. It’s nothing revolutionary, but taking the time to plan ahead a little really does help make things feel less overwhelming, and you won’t regret taking the time to make it happen.
If you have any genius tips for making the holidays easier, be sure to drop them in the comments below!