Christmas is now a little over a month away and while some of us think nothing of starting our Christmas decorating and planning, others feel as though we’ve just set out our fall decor.
For those of us who want to enjoy Christmas with less stress, here are a few ways to plan ahead for a more enjoyable Christmas season.
1. Inventory your Christmas decorations
Take out all your Christmas decorations and sort them in three piles: use/keep, broken, and donate. If you’re like me, you buy a few things each year, and your Christmas decor can get out of hand. Go through your things and purge them before you decorate, so you won’t have to worry about it later.
2. Decide whom you’re shopping for and map out your Christmas budget
Of course, the easiest way to manage Christmas gift shopping is to start early and plan a budget and stick to it. I like to write out a list with the name of each person I’m shopping for and a gift idea and suggested price. I don’t always stick with the gift idea, but I do usually stay within budget.
3. Plan tablescapes and menus ahead of time
It may sound crazy to plan ahead how you’re going to set your table, but planning your table decor and securing all needed items ahead of time will make things much easier. Planning out menu items will also help you to stick to your budget and your shopping list as well.
4. Take your Christmas card photo and order cards now
Take your photo now so you can get the Christmas cards ordered in plenty of time. Once your cards are ordered, you can address them a few at a time before dropping them in the mail, or for a little extra money, pay someone else to address them. It will be much less stressful!
What do you do to ensure a less stressful holiday season?