The Christmas season is in full swing which means tons of holiday stress. Surviving the holidays means a lot more than just making it through a weekend with relatives without a fight. It’s about the things you have to start early on so that it doesn’t avalanche on you during December. Let’s face it, if you wait ’till Thanksgiving to start pulling Christmas together, your goose is cooked before you even finish eating the turkey. Having a Christmas to-do list is important, but also so is getting started on it really early.
I know a lot of us don’t get started on Christmas until well into the holiday season. We already have Halloween and Thanksgiving to contend with. Why take on more? If you are in that position, I can help. There are some last-minute moves you can make to pull off Christmas even if you waited a bit longer. However, the most important thing is to never let that happen again. Print out my Big Christmas to-do List for a step-by-step list of what to handle starting all the way back in October. I also have a full page of blank lists so you can use my method and apply it to your own personal holiday traditions.
Related: This Printable Makes Planning Thanksgiving Dinner Easy as Pie!
How to Plan for Christmas Last Minute
If you’re already well into December and you haven’t done anything for Christmas I have two words for you: Dollar Tree. You can find cheap decor, cheap crafts, cheap cards, and all kinds of other seasonal essentials. You don’t need to make your whole home look like a Dollar Tree, but you can get enough things there to help out what you already might have in storage somewhere.
Another thing I would suggest if you have some money but not a lot of extra time is using Thumbtack to find holiday help. They can take some of the stress off of you if you need some extra expert hands to take some of the load this holiday season.
Speaking of extra hands, this is the time to order your groceries curbside or even have them delivered. You can select what you want online and let somebody else look for it all.
Maybe you don’t have all the money and extra hands sound great, but… nah. I hear you. You can still use online apps to make sure the store has what you want in stock before you go there. That’s nothing new, but if you are in a rush, you might not stop to think of that in your hurry.
Another thing You should consider if you are planning to have a big meal is catering. It could even save you money and it will definitely cut back on stress and save you time.
Before you panic, slow down and prioritize anything that absolutely has to be done. Start with sending Christmas cards, because you want to make sure that those get delivered at least. End with a hot buttered rum and vow to do better next year!
Related; 25 Fun Family Christmas Traditions to Share This Year
Why You Should Start Planning Early
The Postal service gets more expensive and worse at time management every year. If you have anything that you need to send to friends and family around the country you need to start early. If you are buying products online and shipping them, you will need to vet them because you never know anymore if you will get the right product or if they will arrive broken. Logistics is a four-letter word to most carriers these days, and we can’t forget about those ubiquitous porch thieves.
If you do your shopping in person to get around all that shipping nonsense, you have viruses to worry about. Lots of people gathering, coughing, sneezing, touching everything– And that’s just your kids! Seriously, this season promotes contagious diseases. More travel, more people, more drinking, and stress to lower your immune system. With all of these factors gunning for you in a post COVID era, you need to give yourself a wide berth and start checking off your Christmas to-do list all the way back in October. There is a good reason for this, it makes the things you do in December go much more smoothly. Here’s how I like to do Christmas to save myself the headache and potentially worse that comes with last-minute scurrying.
My Printable Big Christmas To-Do List
This list is broken down by month. You start in October with some easy stuff that will make the work you put in later on much less stressful. This is a very practical and thought-out plan, so you can breathe easy and do Christmas like a rock star without breaking a sweat. What are your favorite holiday traditions and what gives you the hardest time every year? I want to know!
