Can you hear those sleigh bells ringing? It won’t be long before the big day will soon be upon us! Are you the type of person that starts shopping in September, or are you still frantically wrapping at midnight on the night before? Being prepared and organized can certainly help make things more enjoyable and relaxed, so we’ve come up with our top 5 ways to help you get organized for the 2021 holiday season.
1) Set a Budget
A good starting point is setting a budget. Work out the finances first, then you can plan your Christmas around it, being careful not to go over budget, which could lead to issues later. Figure out how much you want to spend on each family member/friend, and stick to it! Use the planner to write down your budget and make lists of everything you need to purchase. Don’t forget to factor in other costs such as food and decorations too.
2) Gift Lists
Did you know that we have FREE Christmas Gift List and Hanukkah Gift List PDFs available to download on the website? Get them here! You can print them off and write a list of everyone you need to purchase for, gift ideas, and where to purchase them from. Check them off when you’ve purchased your gifts, so you know that you’ve remembered everyone and everything you need to get.
3) All wrapped up
Wrapping. Some people love it, some people hate it. How do you feel about it?! There’s many different approaches, from wrapping as things are purchased, to having a mammoth wrapping session one night while watching a festive movie and eating mince pies. Make sure you have plenty of wrapping paper and tape as there’s nothing worse than running out half way through. Also make sure you’ve set some time aside in good time to avoid a last minute panic!
You might also want to consider some eco friendly options to cut down on waste. Brown paper is more easily recycled than foil paper, and you could decorate it with stamps, dried fruit, ribbons and fabric tags. You could also consider making re-usable bags from Christmas or winter-themed fabric. Encourage the recipients to re-use the bag, to help reduce paper waste in the future too. Every little helps, as they say.
4) Christmas Makes
Are you planning a hand made holiday this year? If you’re gifting hand made gifts, be sure to allow plenty of time for them. It would be wonderful to make quilts for all our friends and family but that isn’t always realistic! You could consider smaller items like tree decorations, pillows, stockings, or cute sewing related makes in your favourite Christmas fabrics. For your own home, you could make a tree skirt, a table runner, pillows, bunting…the list is endless! Then you can bring it out every year.
5) Party plans
December is always a busy time of year. Be sure to use your planner carefully to write down all the events, parties, gatherings, concerts and vacations so that you don’t double book yourself or end up missing out on something. If you’re hosting the party, send out invites well in advance. If you’re hosting Christmas Day or Thanksgiving, plan the food and write the grocery list in good time and be sure to enlist some help if you can. We’ve even got a FREE Party Planning PDF Download set that you can get here!
We hope you find these tips useful! By starting your holiday planning early, you can avoid a last minute rush and really enjoy every moment of the festive season. Use your planner to keep on track and we wish you the most organized, merry Christmas ever!
