I know, I know, its 2 months away and I can already hear the people screaming to not even say the C-word until after Halloween. I used to be that way too. Then I became a mom and as many moms know, the magic of Christmas is more often than not the work of moms (and many dads, grandparents, and other caregivers). It doesn’t get done if we don’t do it and trying to get it all done in just a coupe weeks before the big day can be…a lot, to say the least. So I want to share a few tips to prepare for Christmas to help you out (and remind myself because I’m in the boat with you).
Budget
In a perfect world, we’re already doing this. We start he year off knowing what expenses and bills and setting aside money for special occasions and emergencies. But let’s be real – most of us barely think about it until the Christmas music starts playing in the stores and our kids are letting us know, not so subtly, what they want for presents.
Start setting aside a little bit now if you can. At the very least, sit down and get really clear about what you can spend and what you can’t. Until you know, you can’t plan.
What’s the Big Plan?
I drive my family crazy with this but come October I’m calling up the in-laws and asking “who is gonna be here and when?” Do they know? Nope. However, it gets the conversation going. Who is going to be at my mother-in-law’s on Christmas day and who is coming the weekend before so they can spend the day off with other family?
You might be having the same conversation every year. Are you going to the in-laws or your family’s? Who is cooking? Are you repeating last year’s plans or trying something new? Now’s the time to get that down so there’s less stress.
Presents? To Who?
Every year my family says “We’re just getting stuff for the kids” and every year its a lie. My husband and I fell for this two years in a row before we caught on. Showing up on Christmas day with a few presents for the little ones then receiving a stack of gifts from siblings and cousins was uncomfortable for us. Now, I do cookie boxes, handmade ornaments, and similar. This fits our budget best. You do what works best for you.
Who are you gifting to this year? Everyone? Just the kids? Coworkers? Secret Santa? Get that list together and start brainstorming ideas.
I would love to be that person who carefully picks a gift for everyone all through the year, wrapping and storing it somewhere safe in my house. It’s not going to happen. I have a small house with barely enough storage for everyday items. Also, I am forgetful…I’ll leave it at that.
If this is you, awesome! Teach me your ways! If not, now is a good time to start picking things up here and there especially when sales start popping up.
Cards
Go ahead and plan out who you are sending cards to now. Create or buy your cards. Fill them out and address them. Then put the stack with your Christmas decorations to go out the weekend after Thanksgiving. Then you won’t be like me in the past, scrambling to get cards together the days before get togethers and always forgetting someone.
Doing cards now will also be a big help if you’ve always wanted to make your own or buy super unique ones online. Ordering or designing last minute has its own plethora of issues and we don’t need the added stress at crunch time.
Ingredients
If you bake and craft like me, go ahead and start getting a few things here and there now. Canned pumpkin, bags of chocolate chips, that huge bag of flour and sugar that makes people wonder if you’re making moonshine in your back shed…
I hate going to the store last minute for an ingredient only to see they’ve run out of it. This happened to me once and after three stores I finally got what I needed and swore never again. Learn from my mistakes and a start getting your spices and flavorings now.
I hope these tips have helped. I hope to have more for you as we get closer to the big day. Let me know what your Christmas prep tips, tricks and ideas are in the comments!