The festive season rolls around so quickly and it’s easy to get overwhelmed! Here are 16 things you can organise now to make sure you’re ready for the Christmas period.
There are just over ten weeks left until Christmas! I know, the end of the year just happens so fast and it can be overwhelming to think about all the tasks to get done in that time. My best advice is start early!
To help you get organised for Christmas I’ve listed 16 things that you can do now to ensure your Christmas is festive and hassle-free.
1.
Order Christmas gifts from overseas
If your family’s wishlists include items that need to be internationally shipped, it’s a great idea to get onto ordering these now. This gives you the best chance of the products arriving in time and the stores not running out of stock. You’ll also be spreading the cost of Christmas out over a few months and the kids won’t be as suspicious of those packages arriving in the post!
2.
Start a Christmas to-do list
There can be a lot to do over Christmas, especially if you’re having guests come to stay, travelling or hosting a lunch. To help you gather your thoughts and put everything in one place, start a to-do list so you can easily add tasks as you think of them, rather than feel overwhelmed. Your list could include things to buy, things to clean, things to do around the house, right down to the little things (such as making sure you have batteries for Christmas gifts!) You’ll find a Christmas to-do list along with many other helpful organising tips in my downloadable Christmas Planner. This has been my sanity saver for well and truly over a decade now.
3.
Book annual leave and school holiday care
If you haven’t already, get your annual leave approved at work so you know exactly what time you’ll have off and can plan all your holidays, shopping and organisation days in your downtime. The summer break is a long one so it’s never too early to start planning school holiday care for kids.
4.
Buy Christmas decor and decorations
If you want to update your Christmas table decor, tree decorations or outdoor lights, now’s a good time. The shelves are filled with brand new stock so you’ll get the first pick of your preferred themes and colours.
5.
Book your hairdresser
With all the end-of-year events, hairdressers get super busy and you might find it harder than usual to get an appointment. Book your appointment now so you’re all fresh for the holiday season.
6.
Plan your Elf antics
Lots of families get a visit from the Elf-on-the-Shelf each year and it can feel like another task to come up with new Elf shenanigans! Plan for your Elf’s visit with my fun elf planner.
7.
Invite guests and organise Christmas lunch
With in-laws, blended families and older kids with partners of their own, there can be a lot of juggling around Christmas time to ensure everyone gets to see each other. This can be stressful, so getting onto it early is a good idea so everyone has a clear idea of who is invited where for what, and can plan other events around it.
8.
Organise teacher gifts
Whether you’re planning to give small individual gifts or contribute/organise a class gift, it’s a great idea to get on top of this early. You might like to do teacher gifts for class teachers, dance teachers, soccer coaches and others. Make a list and start collecting money or organising now because the end of term will roll around quickly! If you’re on a budget, a jar of homemade cookies is a great idea that the kids can help with. Schedule a baking day towards the end of term to plan for this.
9.
Make a Christmas cake
If you like baking, you can make a Christmas cake well in advance of Christmas and leave the flavours to develop until the big day. This is a great Make and Mature Christmas Cake recipe.
10.
Finalise holiday plans
Finalise any travel plans now if you haven’t already. Lock in flights, accommodation, hire cars and activities.
11.
Start the kids’ Christmas wishlists
Start a Christmas list and every time the kids ask for something, remind them to put it on the list. This could be a physical list on the fridge or for older kids, a digital shared note on your device.
12.
Layby gifts when they are on sale
Yes, layby is still a thing with many of the larger department stores! You can pay a deposit and store your gifts at the store until you’ve paid them off. This is a great option for large gifts such as trampolines that can be picked up right before Christmas.
13.
Organise kids Christmas cards
If your child likes to give out Christmas cards to friends, you can buy these now. Kmart or the cheap shops often stock packs of 30 small Christmas cards that would be enough for a class. Some people like to buy candy canes or chocolates to include as well. This can be a fun weekend activity for kids, to sit down and write out all their cards. You can use the school class photo as a reference for names. Give your child a bag or box to put all the cards in and keep until that last week or two of school.
14.
Book petsitting and housesitting
Petsitters and housesitters book up really quickly over the holiday period so if you’re going away, make sure your home and your fur baby are organised as well. Check out our ultimate pet sitter checklist for some tips.
15.
Set a budget
It’s so easy to overspend when you’re in the Christmas spirit, but it’s going to be a lot less stressful if you don’t have to face the fallout of that in January. Create a budget and stick to it. Make sure you include gifts, food, decorations, travel and incidental costs. With early planning, you can get great gifts on a limited budget, and spread the cost over a few months so it doesn’t hit you all at once. A Secret Santa is also a great option if there are going to be a lot of family members at an event – don’t be afraid to suggest this as others might be as relieved as you are!
16.
Diarise and book end-of-year events
The end of the year brings with it Christmas concerts, break-up parties, dance concerts, awards nights and many other commitments that quickly fill up your November and December calendar. Diarise these dates as soon as you can, and make sure you book tickets to any concerts early so you don’t miss out.
Happy Christmas planning!
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