How to prepare for Christmas starting now!

Save your money

Start saving money for Christmas as soon as possible! The earlier the better. Some people even start at the beginning of the year in January- this may seem a little premature and untimely but saving a little money consistently over a longer time period will make Christmas spending seem too easy when winter comes around. You can put money in a separate bank account or make it fun by getting a piggy bank or painting a jar for ‘Christmas Savings’ where the family can put in their input too.

Create list and budget

You will need to create a list of all the things you will need: Christmas gifts, the tree, the wreath, Christmas lights, stockings, decorations, new furniture, cleaning supplies, guest list, party supplies, Christmas games, planning the food, planning a photographer and more. You will need to jot down the budget too for each expense, as well as the quantity needed! Having a budget is extremely essential, so that you don't overspend, underspend, and have everything you need.

Start buying presents early

The third thing to do is to start buying presents early! Use each shopping spree or online browsing throughout the year as an opportunity to buy/look for something for Christmas, because as everybody knows, there's nothing more stressful about Christmas than the chaotic rush of buying presents too late where everything is sold out! So it makes sense to not leave it too late as there won't be anything good left.

Organising using a diary or calendar

Next thing is to use a diary or calendar to label key dates, parties, occasions, dates, family gatherings, when you need to order or arrange things for Christmas (such as catering, cleaning service, photographer, booking for ice skating or to see Santa). You can also purchase an advent calendar to use when December comes which is another Christmas tradition to count the days up to Christmas!

Who is hosting?

It's always important to know where Christmas is being hosted: is it at your own home or somebody else's? So make sure you know if you are to be the host as this would mean you will have to plan and organise ahead. If you know your hosting for Christmas, you will need to arrange a guest list so you can do early preparations and know who is coming. You will also need to send out invitations too and confirm who is coming in advance as you may end up with less guests than the amount you invited if some of them have been invited elsewhere.

Early scheduling

Make sure that you ring up and schedule what you need for Christmas in advance, such as a family photoshoot photographer and food catering. When it comes near to the time, you will find this much harder so a couple months before hands start scheduling your bookings.

Declutter and upgrade your home

Declutter your home as you near Christmas so your workload doesn't pile up leaving it to be another stress. Tackle each bedroom- clean, disinfect, and declutter old/unused furniture and general household items. You need to check the guest rooms and restock, clean, and make sure it's ready for use. The other bedrooms and the kitchen also need to be stocked with essentials. Assure that your garden is maintained so if the party is outside, it is clean. You can add lights, take out the weeds, add in a parasol, hanging egg chair, garden sofa and other garden furniture. Try and start this couple month before Christmas!