How To Get Ready For Christmas Ahead Of Time

The summer is barely over, and the stores are already brimming with holiday merchandise. Even if you aren’t a big fan of the holiday season, it’s a good idea to be prepared. We’re here to show you how to get ready for Christmas early and stress-free. Preparation, in our opinion, is more than half the battle. If you know how to get ready for Christmas early, like, months ahead of time, you’ll be as chilled as a turkey in January by the time the big day arrives.

How To Get Ready For Christmas Ahead Of Time

Why should you start preparing for Christmas early?

The holiday season will be here before you know it, with October only a few days away. The best way to save money, headaches, and even your sanity is to plan ahead. Have you started the “Christmas Chat” with your family yet? ” Who’s going to host? Where is it going to be? What time will lunch be made? Who is being invited? What are you getting for so-and-so? And so on. If you leave everything till the last minute, or even till just approaching Christmas, you could find yourself stressed out, unhappy, panicking and not even looking forwards to the most wonderful time of the year.

Preparing for Christmas

We can’t help ourselves. Christmas is one of our favourite holidays. As a result, understanding how to start planning for Christmas early is nearly second nature to us. Making a list is an easy way to get started. Everything becomes lot more doable once you have a list. Advance holiday preparation puts you in control and can help you avoid all of the negative aspects of Christmas that might arise if you don’t plan ahead of time: stress, debt, and confusion!

What you’ll need to start planning for Christmas early:

1. Work out a budget

Before you even start really thinking about getting ready for Christmas, you need to work out your budget so that you can prepare wisely. Remember to involve everything you will need. This includes; food, decorations, presents, outings, obligatory tacky jumpers…even postage stamps for Christmas cards and parking at the shopping centre. Work out what you will need to spend and where and write it all down. You can then get a better idea of how to manage your money, without any unnecessary splurges closer to the big day.

2. Get your calendar out and start filling it up.

December and the lead up to Christmas is manic. Make sure you start filling in your calendar and diary with everything from parties, to school events, family gatherings, term times and anything else that might slip your mind. If you have kids at school, make sure to include when they break up and any festive plays that might be thrown. Planning on ordering a turkey? Make a note of when you can order and when you can pick it up. Don’t be scared of being pedantic. Go as far as jotting down the days to do the big Christmas food shop – the more organised you are now, the better it will be then.

3. Choose who will host Christmas Day.

If you know you are going to be hosting, you have even more reason to prepare early. Have the conversation now so both you, and they, can be fully prepared. They might need to tell other friends and family members that they will be having Christmas Day at yours, so the more notice that can be given to all parties, the better.

4. Who’s coming?

Now you know you will oversee Christmas Day, you need to get on that guest list! Figuring out who and how many people will be attending will help you get organised. Make your list (check it twice) and start inviting people – the sooner the better. Will some guests need to stay over? If so, start planning what you and they will need. Things like extra toilet roll, spare beds, and bedding, deciding who will be sleeping where etc.