The holidays are fast approaching and now is the time to plan and get organized. We can’t make time slow down but we can be ready so we don’t have to rush around later.
There are so many things that can be done ahead of time to make the holiday season run smoothly. And when you give yourself a lot of time to prepare it doesn’t feel like much work at all.
For the last several years I’ve been working to do this myself. It’s amazing what a difference it makes in your mood for the holidays. I love being able to enjoy all of the special moments more.
I want to share some quick tips with you on how you can also reduce your holiday stress and enjoy the season more.
How to be Prepared for Christmas
Make Time for Prep Work
Try to set aside some time each week to do a little bit of prep work. How much time you need depends on how long it is until Christmas and how much you want to prepare ahead of time. Make a master to-do list and decide how much time each thing will take. After you know how much time your list will take you, you can divide it up.
Stay Organized
A holiday planner is a great way to stay on track and organized. You can make your own or buy a pre-made planner. I like to use a three-ring binder with a printable holiday planner for mine. It’s a very easy and cheap planner and has worked really well for me.
Also pick up some organizing supplies like labels, storage containers, etc… to help you organize all of your supplies. The Container Store’s Gift Wrap Wonderland will be here soon and is the perfect place to get all of your holiday supplies. You will also find great stuff on Amazon.
Gather Your Resources
Now is a great time to start pinning tips and tricks on Pinterest. I have a Pinterest board called Everything Christmas that is full of great resources for you to check out.
Also be sure to check out my new ebook A Stress-Free Christmas. It’s a great resource and you will also get access to a page with even more great resources. It will help you to have a stress-free and memorable Christmas so get your copy today!
Do you have tips for being prepared for the holidays? Share in the comments below, I love hearing from you! And don’t forget to sign up for my mailing list to get even more great tips.
What causes me the most stress is waiting to hear whether I’ll have holiday house guests or not! It generally tends to be fairly last minute, and then I have to scramble to get rooms ready, menus planned, gifts purchased and wrapped (guests’ arrival determines whether or not gifts will be mailed), etc., etc.! Since I work full time, I like to plan way in advance so I am not stressed, but invariably there is someone who decides, oh, they will come after all. THAT stresses me!
I love the idea of planning ahead and making time for prep work each week. The most stressful thing about Christmas is realizing it’s right around the corner and you still have things to do. 🙂
Every year Christmas sneaks up on me. This year I’m going to be prepared. I’m going to get all my shopping done this month, go through the boxes of decorations in the basement so they’re all ready to go, plan get together’s with friends and family and get all my baking recipes in order! I won’t be procrastinating this year.
I need a Stress-Free Christmas. Everyone is so busy around the holidays and I love to get my Christmas card and Holiday letter out the day after thanksgiving but it’s hard to get it all together.
I am already starting to think about Christmas! I am wanting to buy all local/small business this year for Christmas so I am keeping my eyes and ears open for things that work for the people I get to buy for. I have a running list of names, ideas and when/what I have purchased. So far it working well. Christmas time can be overwhelming for type a people if we let it get away from us! And especially seeing how we are pregnant with our second coming in the new year!
We dropped the ball on planning a Christmas vacation, because we didn’t have enough time to prepare. BUT, we’re getting a head start by planning a vacation for Christmas 2017!
I love Christmas but it can definitely be stressful if we don’t prepare in advance.
xoxo, Jenny
I really found so much inspiration from this post. It prompted me to start my holiday planning and I feel really good about that! I even mentioned it in my post this week!
So glad it inspired you! I loved your post. If you are looking for more tips and inspiration be sure to check out my new book Having a Stress-Free Christmas and come back next week because I have something else up my sleeve that will be done soon. 🙂