Plan Early for a Stress-Free Christmas

If you plan early for a stress-free Christmas you have a better chance of it happening! The earlier you plan the better. It may seem like overkill but it really helps.

Christmas can really sneak up on you, for me it seems to come faster every year. It’s my favorite holiday, some say I’m a bit obsessed, so I like it to be as stress-free as possible. One way to do this is by planning early.

I like to set myself up for success right after Christmas by making lists of who sent me Christmas cards, organizing my decor, making notes of what I wanted to do differently the next year, and things like that. I also like to start really planning around July. Seems very early but it really helps to avoid feeling stressed and rushed.

When you plan early you can tackle bite-sized pieces instead of having a really long to-do list closer to the day. It also means your budget takes less of a hit at one time and you have more time to shop for sales.

I have even seen some Christmas decor starting to pop up in some shops. I know that can seem crazy but it does make it nice for planning ahead. I know I look forward to Hallmark’s Christmas preview every year. We already bought a couple of ornaments.

How to Plan Early for a Stress-Free Christmas

Set-Up a Christmas Planner

You can either add to your current planner or have a planner just for the holidays. I do a bit of both. The bulk of it will be in a Christmas planner but I will have some things in my Happy Planner as well.

Start decluttering

Now is also a great time to declutter. We also end up with a lot of new stuff around the holidays so start making some space. If you need some help check out 75 Things to Declutter Before Christmas.

Set-Up a Christmas Budget

Having your Christmas budget ahead of time can help you save money to avoid going into debt or having last-minute stress trying to figure out how to cover expenses. 

Start your Christmas Gift List

Having a list ready means you can start shopping ahead of time. Not only does this mean you will have less to do during the holidays but you can also shop sales all year long.

Start saving money

If you haven’t already started putting money aside. For now, you can keep it pretty simple and just skip a coffee or buying something else to clutter up your home and save instead. You can also find ways to make extra money for Christmas.

Start planning your homemade Christmas gifts

Figure out what supplies you need and start collecting them and even start making things that can be made ahead. This will save you so much time and stress when the holidays are closer. If you are looking for ideas check out 25+ Homemade Christmas Gifts. 

Remember what’s important to you and your family

A meaningful holiday is what’s really important. Sit down with your family and talk about what you liked the year before and what you didn’t. Start planning ways you will make the holidays memorable and more meaningful.

More Christmas Resources

• A Stress-Free Christmas: A Complete How-To Guide– Check out my ebook full of everything you need to know about having a stress-free Christmas.
• Christmas Planner– The best way to get organized is by using my Christmas planner to keep track of everything important.
• The Stress-Free Christmas– My Christmas blog is full of Christmas tips and tricks. It’s a great place to find Christmas information all year long.