Christmas Holiday Organization
Christmas holidays are supposed to be a time of peace, love and connection but for so many it can become rushed and completely chaotic. We end up running out last minute for a gift card for a forgotten teacher or a loved one.
Here are 5 tips to have the season flow smoothly and get some well-deserved rest and relaxation during those last few days which are often the most chaotic.
Start Early
Starting your Christmas shopping early is essential to many aspects of the season. Retailers start putting out Christmas décor the day after Halloween therefore making it easy to replace that wreath that didn’t make it from last year or that blow up Santa that got destroyed.
Starting early is essential for a few reasons:
- Saves you time later.
- Ensures they aren’t sold out when you decide what you want.
- Eases the overload in the December budget.
- Ensures the recipients of your cards/ gifts arrive on time as the closer to Christmas you send them the higher the chance they won’t arrive on time.
Write Lists
Write it all out. Doesn’t matter what you start with, just start. From every single ingredient for Christmas dinner to every single teacher/colleague you will be buying for. List it all and then go back and add date headings once you have date headings categorize each as per the date. Obviously, you can’t buy your Christmas ham a month prior to Christmas so ensure its under the appropriate date heading. Remember to save your document for next year to make it quicker to edit and print off.
Gift cards/chocolates
Lots of places sell packs of $15 or $25 gift cards to Starbucks or another popular coffee shop nearby. Buy a pack at the beginning of the season and this will help ensure if someone shows up or you realize the day of the last day of school you forgot a teacher or another important person you have a gift card handy to hand out. Also, your local Walmart will have boxes of chocolates for a very low cost. Buy a few and keep them on hand for that last minute guest who drops by with a small gift and you then have something on hand to gift them as though you had it all along for them specifically.
Collect throughout the year
This one is my personal favourite. During the year family and friends often drop hints on items they need/want. Add it to a list and the next time your out pick it up. Keep it in the top of a closet and tag it with the name of the person it is intended for. Just remember, as the holidays approach, about your secret stash and add it to your holiday list as your updating it. This will ease SO much financial pressure and decision making or guessing. This also keeps you from buying things people wont like or use. It also significantly helps with the pressure of the holidays.
Set Reminders
We have these Handy Dandy neat little inventions called smart phones and we don’t always use them to their fullest “smart” potential. All of them come with reminder apps, calendar apps and note apps. While you are writing or editing your lists set reminders in your phone so you do not miss a task. This important step allows us to take off some of the pressure off constantly feeling like were forgetting something or having to run out last minute to grab something.
Spending time at the beginning of the season to plan out and schedule your upcoming holiday season will allow us so much freedom and relaxation during the December month. It is a MUST if you want to actually spend some time relaxing with your family and ensure you don’t get sick over the holidays from Pre Holiday Burn Out. A little relaxation at the end of holidays ensures that the next year starts off full of energy and excitement for the coming year!
Need help getting organized this holiday season? We would love to help you. Book your complimentary virtual consultation today.
Melanie McConnell is a Professional Organizer and the owner of Mello Spaces. She helps busy professionals and parents get the organized home of their dreams. Check out her website www.mellospaces.com and follow her on Instagram: @mellospaces
Florena Davies is a Professional Organizer and Owner of Organize by Flo. She uses her experience as a wife and mother of 2 to create real life organizational systems and changes for work and home that allow our 2 worlds to co-exist and 'Flo" together. Check out her website at https://www.organizebyflo.com/ and on instagram @organizebyflo.
Marybeth Welty is a Professional Organizer, Interior Designer, and Mindful Living Coach, and is the owner of Sustainable Lifestyle Solutions. She helps her clients create a calm, organized, and sustainable home and the life of their dreams by utilizing refined design principles, organizing best practices, mental wellness strategies, and a holistic lifestyle approach to sustainability. You can connect with her at www.sustainablelifestylesolutions.com and on Instagram at @this_sustainable_lifestyle.