Welcome to Day One of our Christmas Prep Week! (read more about all the details here)
Grab a cup of good strong coffee, some paper and your favorite pen and sit down for a little brainstorming session for one. All you’re doing is making a few lists. You may not finish them today, but starting the process, helps your brain begin to anticipate these things and clears up that space for things that matter. This may seem early and excessive but know it’s an investment in your future. These simple lists will give you so much time back later.
So here are your lists….
1. Events
Start with today and write them all down. Halloween and Fall fun, Thanksgiving, family gatherings, work parties, travel, school programs. Anything you know will most likely come up write it down. You don’t have to know the dates right now (add that if you do know) but this is a simple list.
2. Gifts
This is not a complete list but really a brainstorm session. Write down who you know you’ll buy for… family, work and teacher gifts, hostess gifts (you’ve already made your event list! See how it all works together?) If you have ideas as to what you want to get, start filling that in but don’t stress about that part yet.
*Bonus Tip: bulk your hostess gifts! Decide what would work (we have a great selection of gifts here) and go ahead and order them and have them ready.
3. Cards
If you send Christmas cards spend a few moments updating your list. Take note of who you may need new addresses for, who to add or take off your list. And start collecting those addresses as you can. It is such a waste of time to ask the same people for addresses every single year. Help that list work for you!
If you don’t have a list, now is the time to get started. Then each year, you can just make a few updates. You can also update your addresses as your receive cards this year. DO it now and save time later.
And if you don’t send Christmas cards, this is where you’ve already named what is important to you and that is good thing. Skip ahead to your next list.
4. Budget
Stressing about money is something that can really ruin the season. Decide your budget now. It may be as simple as I have $X to spend for the season or I’ll spend $x on each person. Do whatever works for you, but naming it now, frees you from stressing later.
5. Home projects:
If you’re like me, you like to try to think of all the things you can get done before the end of the year. What a great time to knock out a wall and add an extra bathroom! Listen to me. It is not a good time. You will run out of time and you will make yourself crazy. So, why do we have a list for this? Because stuff needs to get done and we need to narrow our focus. Write down the things that MUST be done before the season. Are you having overnight guests and your guest bathroom is non-functional? That is a big one. Are you mid project and having major anxiety about finishing it up before you host a party? Write it down right now.
6. Cannot miss traditions - What is important
This one is the big one. You’ve taken the time to really think about your schedule and the things you’ll need, now think about what matters most and don’t just write them down but give them some thought. Those traditions are what you remember forever, not a random party with a neighbor you’ve met once. Write them down. The movie nights, the cookie baking, the night to look at Christmas lights… and as you do ask yourself how important these things are to you. Hold on to that now and it will help you a ton later. This is even a great time to get the whole family involved if that helps and make your “bucket list” for the season. If your family has something on their mind in October, there is a very good chance it’s something that really matters.
Just a few ideas that may be on your list…
- Movie nights
- Cookie baking
- Putting the tree up
- Christmas light drive
- Shopping for an angel tree family
- Volunteer events
- Advent Studies or traditions
This seems like a lot but it's just about getting the ideas out of your head and only paper so we know what to do with them later. Your lists may change as we get closer to the season but this is laying the ground work for your best Christmas season ever!
Tomorrow we'll start gathering all the things we need to get started.