If it's only October, and you've already bought a few Christmas decor items or you'd rather be prepared for the season long before the chaos starts, you're in the right place. Big retail and decor stores don't think like the average person. They are on a different time scale. Christmas items tend to hit the shelves as early as July because there is a lot of it, and if they started packing it out in November, they'd never get it all on the shelves and would lose profit. This early action also really benefits those who do Christmas crafting for sale and businesses which must prepare for the season earlier than the average person because decorating an entire office building or an entire mall inside and out does not happen over night.
So how do you get an efficient jump on the season?
1. First ignore the groaners and whiners about the fact that you're starting now. These same people in late November will be groaning about how they have so much to do and are so stressed out. Prepping now helps you avoid the long seasonal lines, avoid stress, get the best stuff, and take advantage of some earlier sales.
2. Set your Finances. You know how many people you intend to shop for, cook for, everything for. Create a budget and start sticking to it for gifts, travel, food, etc. Start saving by creating a separate savings account (if you haven't been doing so already) whereby money is automatically taken from your paycheck and put specifically towards your holiday spending. If you can't be trusted with a credit card, get a temporary Visa Gift Card and only put your budgeted money on it, or pay for things with only cold hard cash. Don't forget to save all your receipts and don't remove tags in case you have buyers remorse.
3. Do Inventory. Go through your holiday attic storage, closet, and bins and first organize things that weren't so organized when you threw them in last year, and take stock of what you already have. This will save you a ton of money not doubling up on your 15th roll of unecessary gift wrap. I strongly advise taking photos and labeling everything so you can easily get to what you need. This will keep you from having to open random unmarked boxes looking for things.
4. Get your decor and gifts now! By the time actual December rolls around, you will be picking through the bins looking for stuff as stores start slowly pulling items and getting ready for the new year. If you are looking to start a new holiday theme or it's your first Christmas as a homeowner/in your own place, start looking now and get the good stuff before you can't find a pair or something or the items you want are chipped and broken. Begin getting your holiday gifts early as well. Make sure you register for a brand, or retail stores app or rewards program because they will frequently send you secret discounts or give you early access to sales. Even with your grocery store, you can find great deals online that can save you on holiday food fair.
5. If you intend to have house guests this season, check on your air mattresses and make sure they haven't gone holy, or confirm your mattresses are still firm. Give your guest room(s) a refresh. This is also a good time to start doing any house repairs that may potentially impact your house guests or you in the winter season.
6. If you aren't a regular exerciser, start at the very least, going for a walk a day. The holiday season can take it's toll on you with stress, family, constant good eating, and bad winter weather. Take advantage of the last gasps of comfortable weather to take care of your body. Also if you have a lot going on, make sure you look after your mental health as well. Family time isn't always the best times for some, so seek out help if you need it.
7. Start shopping for your Christmas outfits and book your holiday family photo sessions NOW! It can be hard to find the perfect fit for yourself and your entire family especially for group photos and the worst is getting to the week of, then you're in a panic, that one person doesn't have an outfit, and you're scrambling. Book your photographer sessions now as they tend to obviously fill up later in the season.
8. Declutter. Season Clean. Get Rid of things that are just taking up space figuratively and literally. If your boyfriend/girlfriend is dead weight in your life, don't go into the season still holding on because it can ruin your holidays. This is also early enough to start something new or get a friend to vacation with you if you don't want to go at it alone. This is also a good time to deep clean your house so you don't have to do it all when you have so much going on with family/friends/work/parties/life.
9. Book flights and secure your travel plans if you haven't already. Make sure you use comparison travel sites to find the best deals that you can. Every little penny goes a long way.
10. If you are the resident chef of the family, check on your pots, pans, plates, etc and get any replacements needed and start asking grandma now for her famous recipes, so you're not trying to scramble last minute to get these. Now is a good time to compile your holiday recipes into one consolidated convenient book and start creating a list for your holiday menu of all the ingredients and supplies you will need to create your masterpiece.
***Bonus Tip
Plan an after the holidays, holiday. This can be something as simple as a weekend trip in a nearby town, but make sure after catering to everyone else and dealing with family, and having to clean and declutter and cook, that after all is said and done, you give yourself a break and some grace and take care of you and just relax. Even if all you do is book a hotel and sleep the whole weekend, do it. You'll thank you later!
What Girls & Guys Said
Opinion
0Opinion
I look forward to putting these tips into practice!
Good to hear. Enjoy the season!
Share the first opinion in your gender
and earn 1 more Xper point!