I am definitely a list maker kind of girl. My calendar is very important in December. Several weeks prior to the holidays, I am usually carrying around some type of reminder to keep me on track.
This past Christmas I started plenty early on my decorating, shopping and wrapping. I’m so glad I did because I got really sick and was out of commission for a week. No one likes to feel rushed especially around the holidays. I like to get the majority of my stuff done by early December so I can coast and enjoy December with my family.
My goal this year was to be in the present moment, enjoy family, say yes to family traditions, and say no to overscheduling other events. In order to keep these goals in mind, I had to do a couple things ahead of time to prepare. Keep these tips in mind next year as you plan for the holidays.
I try to get my immediate family’s Christmas lists as close to Halloween as possible. This will give you a ton of time to shop for your family and then save late November and December for the people that are harder to buy for and small things like stockings.
My Christmas cards were a little later this year due to when we got our portraits taken. However, you can have your addresses done and saved as labels. This will save you a lot of time when you’re overwhelmed in December.
Send a family text with important dates so everyone is on the same page and knows in advance what they are expected to attend and how to dress for that event. If it’s in writing they can’t say they were not told.
Make all hair appointments and any other beauty treatments months in advance. If your hair salon is anything like mine it fills up fast near the holidays. You want to be looking your best for all your holiday parties so this one is important.
Plan out your outfits for all your Christmas parties right down to the accessories. That way you will know if anyone in the family has grown out of the clothing that fit them 2 months ago. I got burned on this one several years ago and I was so frustrated on one of our special annual Christmas breakfasts that I vowed I would never let clothing ruin an event again.
The main thing is to be organized and think ahead on things that are important to you. More importantly let the insignifacant things go and don’t get wrapped up saying yes to every event.
Have a great holiday season and enjoy your family and friends!
