Christmas is without a doubt the busiest and most hectic time of year, what with all of those Christmas parties to go to, shopping to do, presents to wrap, a feast to cook, and so many other tasks to tackle on top of working, blogging, looking after our families, and going about our daily lives as normal. I'm exhausted just thinking about it all!
With so much to do in the space of a few weeks, it's no wonder we all get so stressed, sick, and exhausted over the festive season. If we're not careful, we can easily run ourselves in to the ground. I've lost count of how many Christmases I've been ill because I've worked myself too hard and had little time to rest; I used to come down with the flu every year right in time for Christmas.
I now realise it's important to spread the work load out to take the pressure off in December, which is particularly important if you have a chronic illness and limited energy every day. In fact, there are plenty of Christmas tasks you can start working on now to get a head start on your to do list, so that come December you have less to tackle, and more time to relax and enjoy the festivities.
Naturally, being somewhat of a Christmas addict, I'm already getting organised for Christmas, and I wanted to share a list of Christmas tasks you can get working on ahead of time to make your life so much easier come December, so here it is:
1. If you haven't already started, begin your Christmas shopping, and save yourself the stress of Christmas shopping in store in December.
2. Shop for any gift wrapping supplies, Christmas cards, and craft supplies you need. It's a good excuse for a fun trip out to Hobbycraft or Paperchase!
3. Wrap the presents you've already bought, and wrap everything else as you buy them. You'll thank yourself for it on Christmas Eve when you have more time to put your feet up at the end of the day.
4. Begin shopping for stocking fillers, and wrap anything you've already bought. It's also a good idea to organise each person's stocking fillers in to a separate carrier bag, so on Christmas Eve, all you have to do is transfer the presents in to the stockings.
5. Sit down and write your Christmas cards, and if you like to write one, a Christmas letter to go with them. Remember to stamp and address the envelopes, too, so come December all you'll have to do is post them.
6. Get working on any Christmas crafts you want or need to make this year. It will make those boring dark evenings at home pass faster, and stretch Christmas out that little bit further. I've been busy Christmas cross stitching away since September!
7. Put together your Christmas Eve box(es) of goodies to enjoy with your family on Christmas Eve. Think cosy pyjamas, slippers, Christmas movies, popcorn, chocolates, candles, Christmas books, hot chocolate, Christmas coffee mugs, face masks etc. If you need a little inspiration, here's the one I made for myself last year.
8. Start shopping for Christmas gifts for your pets, and stock up on enough pet food and bedding to see them through the holidays. I've already started buying gifts for my dog, Rosie; there's some great gifts for dogs out there this year! Do you want me to blog about what I've bought her in December?
9. Compile your Christmas playlist(s) to soundtrack all of your festive activities, or if you're a bit old school, dig out your Christmas CDs and LPs.
10. Take your Christmas decorations out of storage, and check if anything needs to be repaired or replaced.
11. Untangle the Christmas lights, and check if any bulbs need replacing.
12. Shop for any Christmas decorations and homeware you may want or need. I just bought myself the cutest fifties-style Christmas bedding from ASDA!
13. Go through your Christmas recipe books, and plan your Christmas menu. You could even start writing your Christmas shopping list ready for your Christmas food shop.
14. Make your Christmas cakes, puddings, and home-brewed drinks like sloe gin. If it can be made early, get it out of the way now!
15. Prepare and freeze any food that can be made ahead of time, so you have less food to make from scratch over the holidays. You could also bulk-cook and freeze every day meals for December so you have more time to put your feet up after a busy day of work or Christmas shopping in the run up to Christmas.
16. Start stocking up on non-perishable Christmas food and drink during your weekly / monthly food shops.
17. Buy or make your Christmas crackers ready for Christmas Day.
18. Wash and iron your Christmas bedding, table linen, tea towels etc. so they'll be ready to use come December, and you won't have extra laundry to do over the festive season.
19. Clear out the spare room ready for any guests you have coming to stay over Christmas, and check you have enough bedding for everyone.
20. Organise any Christmas parties, family gatherings, or meet ups with friends, and start inviting your friends and family before their diaries start filling up.
21. Stock up on batteries for your Christmas decorations, and any presents that may need them. The last thing you want is to find out you've forgotten the batteries for your kids' new toys on Christmas morning
22. Purchase stamps for your Christmas cards, so you can get them ready to send at the start of the month.
23. Shop for cute Christmas PJs and slippers to wear over Christmas, and to put in your Christmas Eve boxes.
24. Start shopping for all of those Christmas party outfits. The best pieces always sell out fast, so it never hurts to start early.
25. Begin planning any festive days out you want to take, and any activities you want to do in December.
26. Book tickets for any Christmas concerts, shows, or pantomimes you want to go to. They tend to book up fast at this time of year, so you want to snag those tickets early to avoid disappointment.
27. Book any accommodation and transport needed for your Christmas travels. With Christmas being the busiest travel season of the year, an' all, you sure don't want to leave this one 'til the last minute.
28. Gather together / shop for Christmas photo props for your Christmas blog and social media posts. You don't necessarily have to buy anything new; you'll probably have plenty of great props to use in your Christmas decorations box, and natural things like pine cones, holly, and fir branches make excellent festive props, too.
29. When you have a spare afternoon, take photos for your Christmas blog posts in bulk ready for all those festive posts you may be planning.
30. Write and schedule your Christmas blog content ahead of time so you don't have to spend December stressing about getting a post live on time when you could be enjoying the festivities with your family and friends.
31. Buy, make, or fill your Advent calendars so they're ready to start opening on December 1st.
32. Start putting together Christmas shoe boxes of gifts and essentials for people in need.
33. Begin collecting and donating food to food banks. Most supermarkets will have a collection point where you can leave non-perishable food (usually near the checkouts) to make it easier for you to donate as you do the weekly food shop.
34. Sign up to volunteer your time and services to worthy causes over the holidays.
35. If you haven't already, book your Christmas meals and parties before the venues fill up.
So, there we have it: 35 ways to get organised for Christmas now. I don't know about you, but I'm definitely going to try to get as many of these things prepared ahead of time to try to take the stress out of Christmas this year. What about you?
Have you started preparing for Christmas yet?
This is such a great post, thanks for the motivation!xx
ReplyDeleteVery nice!!!
ReplyDeleteWish you a very Happy Christmas & a Very Happy New Year. May God bless you!!