15 Things to do to pre plan for the Holidays.
The Holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years) come up so fast every single year. I personally love the thrill of it all. The rush of constant planning for the season sparks something in me. But even for someone like me that yearns for a once a year season of excitement. I too become overwhelmed.
But for me, instead of slowing down each year (which many have recommended to do), I continue to add to the season as our family has grown. I have instead learned to pre plan for the holidays during the calm before the festivities.
Here are 15 pre planning tips for the Holidays but first…
How soon do you start pre planning?
Probably about the same time Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks comes out. This is when I began to get excited for the holidays but without rushing the décor out completely, I began to do what I am able to do without evidence that I am already preparing.
What if I do not like planning so far ahead?
I do not like to plan too far ahead either. It takes from the vibrancy of the season for me. But I have noticed, the more I give in to pre planning some items, the more time I have to give into my self care and bible studying time during the holiday season. Our time with the Lord can not be jeopardized. We especially do not want to lose focus of what the season is all about, so be sure to pre plan for the sake of your self care and time with your Word.
How do you prioritize your holiday season and keep it stress free?
Every person and household expectations for the Christmas season is so very different. There is no way for me or anyone else to determine what should be at the top of your list. This list is just some ideas I have come up with during the years. Things that I have tended to have forgotten to prioritize till it’s right there in front of me. Hopefully this checklist can be a good reminder of what to add to your checklist .
Where do you find the inspiration to even begin? I don’t even feel like starting for the holidays till I have too.
Believe it or not, social media gives me so much holiday inspiration. Many home décor influencers begin giving holidays decorating tips well in advance. Also, Pinterest. Definitely Pinterest gives me the extra boost I need to start getting in the holiday spirit.
Related Posts:
30 Christmas Movies for the Family to watch.
33 Things to do with your kids before Christmas
7 Christmas Advent ideas for Couples
The Pre Planning Holiday Checklist for your Home:
Spiritually Clean your home.
This is important for our household in general. Even for the holiday season. The kids and I will anoint the walls and doors throughout the household praying ahead of time for our focus to be on Jesus’s birth, to bless every person that enters into our home, to keep us physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy during the winter season.
Deep Clean.
I deep clean by cleaning out closets, dusting areas that I do not usually dust, cleaning windows, go through junk drawers, pantry, ect. I do this because when we have gatherings, I begin to feel so overwhelmed the most with prepping holiday meals and decorating, that cleaning is the last thing I want to do. But if I deep clean my home ahead of time, I feel a sense of pressure taken off of me and there is only a need of a light cleaning versus, making sure the home is what I hope for it to be while guests are over.
Create a holiday bucket list.
I really love this idea because on those days that you do not know what to do when the kids are home on winter break, this list could be something you can work on. I also love the idea to make into a decorative piece during the holiday season like this Instagram account does…
(photo credit: @Bellebucket IG)
Spend time in your Bible.
Do not forget the reason for the season. Do not allow the chaos to overwhelm the vision God gave us. Even consider making time to do bible studies with your spouse and/or children.
Holiday Outfit Checklist.
Make sure kids have all the little things before you are searching high and low. Matching tights, socks, dress shoes, outfits for gatherings before prices are hacked up and it feels like you spent all their Christmas money at Target for a hurried cute holiday outfit.. This gets to me almost every year. I am determined to not make this a issue for me with five kids anymore…. hahaha…
Create a Christmas gift list with budget.
I do this with my husband around end of October time. We have lots of kids ourselves and lots of nieces and nephews on both sides so the sooner we start, the better. Here is our absolutely favorite Christmas planner. And it is FREE!
Christmas Card List.
You know what’s the one thing that stops me the most from sending out cards every year? Not having addresses! Buy an address book ahead and start collecting addresses before you plan to send out Christmas cards. This will save you time and it will make the process of sending cards more of an enjoyable one.
Cupboard Cleanout.
Clean out the Tupperware cupboard. Get rid of items without a lid or without the bottoms. Go to the dollar store and load up on inexpensive Tupperware that you can send home with your visitors throughout the season. Also checkout their cookie tins there. The dollar stores usually carry great sizes for cookies tin to pass deserts out in.
Plan a Weekly or Bi weekly Grocery List.
Depending on how much grocery shopping you do, create a weekly or bi weekly shopping list that includes your holiday baking and cooking needs. Pre plan your grocery list so you can deliberately pre plan healthy meals in between all the holiday festivities that include big meals and lots of sugar.
Budget for the remaining of the year.
Though you may have a monthly budget for your home. I find it to be such a wise thing to add holiday expenses ahead of time. Include extra for grocery shopping, extra for gas for driving more to stores and to see family, extra for gifts, ect… Creating a budget will also keep you aware of your expenses which can help save you some headaches for later.
Clean out toy closets.
Clean out toy closets, buckets, or anything else you may not be using around the house before adding more gifts to the home. Decide whether to donate, to sell online and make that extra space. Consider this to be similar to a spring cleaning.
Holiday Boxes.
Look through your holiday storage boxes ahead of time so you are not doing it all at once. I have my son bring me a bin once to twice a week from the storage starting first week of October so I can slowly go through things instead of rushing at last minute to go through storage. Most of the time, I realize I no longer want something. It also helps me to start thinking ahead of time of how I would like to decorate for the upcoming holiday. I tend to change things yearly so doing this slowly in advance is now exciting versus feeling like a last minute chore.
Create a Holiday Gift Area.
Every year I set a specific area in our home to wrap gifts. It is not a big area. It can become crammed as it becomes closer to Christmas but I do love it because it is my space to peacefully wrap gifts for our friends and family. I love ribbons, matching wrapping paper, and to keep plenty of scotch tape on hand so I usually try to start setting my gift area up pretty early in the season. So, incase I buy gift wrapping items early, I have a spot to put it all instead of just laying it around till it’s time to wrap.
Pre plan your Christmas Advent
In our home, we do Christmas Advent as a family and a advent just as a married couple. Which means I have two advents to prepare for. I love putting intentional thought and effort into both so pre planning ahead with these activities has allowed me to spend quality time into creating the advent versus rushing it or purchasing a pre made one (which is not bad, I just prefer a personalized one).
Start gift shopping ASAP,
Yes, start shopping! Even if it’s just a few dollars a week to start on stocking stuffers or one gift per pay check, just start shopping as soon as you can. The worse feeling we can give ourselves during the holidays is rushing at last minute. This overwhelms us with time and finances. When we pre plan gift buying with the budget we are relieving last minute pressures from ourselves.
Also, if you are a person to small shop (Etsy for example) like I do, then learn from my mistake… Do not expect a small shop to have the gift to you within a week time. Give small business owners time to create your personalized item, to package it, and to deliver through a mailing system they hope will deliver to you in a timely manner. I personally try to avoid ordering through small shops by first week of December.
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