Getting Ready for Your Holiday Season Now
Is it too early to start getting ready for your holiday season? Absolutely not! Keep reading to learn how to get ready for your holiday season now for a less-stress holiday experience.
We just finished up Halloween which means we’re in full holiday mode. And yes, while we should be thinking about and prepping for Thanksgiving, there are some things we should do to make our overall holiday season experience better.
Plan Your Social Calendar
Start adding parties and events to your calendar now to minimize any short-notice surprises. If there are parties you usually attend feel free to ask the host/hostess if they have a date for their event yet.
Because of the pandemic, many of the events (whether public or private) may be canceled or tentatively scheduled this holiday season. It’s always a good idea to check and put even tentative dates on your schedule to keep from overbooking yourself.
Be sure not to let events run your schedule. Remember that you also need some downtime for yourself. Your schedule should determine events. Only accept invites as they revolve around YOUR schedule and YOUR busiest days.
Declutter Your Space
Honestly, if you haven’t done a fall purge yet you may have missed your window unless you just have some free time. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do basic decluttering.
Now is a good time to go through kids’ toys and donates what doesn’t get used. It’s also a perfect time to go through and donate clothing. You’ve probably already pulled out your winter wardrobe. Be sure to donate anything from last season that won’t fit the kids next season as well as any of their winter wardrobe they’ve grown out of.
If you have a coat closet you probably want to make sure it’s ready for your guests’ coats. Clean out any closet you plan on using for this specific purpose.
You’ll also want to go through you pantry, fridge, and freezer. This is a perfect time of year to donate non-perishables. You want to make room for the ingredients you’ll need for holiday cooking and baking (not to mention leftovers).
Plan Your Holiday Cooking
Getting ready for your holiday season also means getting ready for the food. Gather recipes for your favorite holiday meals, treats, desserts, and potluck dishes. Make an ingredients list and inventory your pantry and fridge to see what you have and what you need. Afterward, you’ll be able to make a master grocery list for parties and events. (This whole process is identical to your regular weekly meal planning.)
Having this grocery list as early as possible will help you take advantage of any seasonal sales and coupons leading into the holiday season.
It would also be helpful to replace any of your old baking staples as you’re likely to go through quite a bit over the next 2 months. Having the freshest ingredients truly does make a difference in the taste of your baked goods. Check things like flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices and replace them as needed.
Start Getting Ready for Your Holiday Season Early
Start preparing for the season early to keep it from sneaking up on you. Try making some gift purchases early to take some of the pressure off closer to Christmas. Put a few Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner non-perishable items in your cart during your regular weekly grocery trips to help stockpile your needed items.
Start thinking about classroom or work parties and teacher gifts. (This is something that I always forgot about until the very last minute. Prepare now and keep yourself from scrambling.)
Holiday Budget
Determining a holiday budget is essential. From gifts to events and parties to holiday travel… this season can easily be the most expensive of the year. Using the above tips to help you prepare early for the holidays should take a little strain off and help you budget more efficiently.
Beyond that, you should have a budget for gift giving, a budget for Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner, and a budget for any other event you plan to host. It’s also going to go a long way making plans and reservations for holiday travel.
Prepare Your Christmas Cards
Ideally you should be taking your family Christmas pictures (at least the ones for your Christmas cards) now. You want to have enough time to order and recieve the cards before you plan on mailing them out to friends and family. While you’re waiting for them to arrive be sure to stock up on postage stamps.
Prepare Holiday Attire
Don’t be stuck in the department store the night before your company Christmas party trying to find something to wear. Make plans now for your holiday event attire. Not only will you be able to relax knowing you’ve got everything you need but by shopping early you’ll have access to more variety before things begin to sell out.
Think of everything. Do you need a dress? Will you need new pantyhose, tights, or shoes? Don’t forget the right undergarment or shapewear. Do you need an ugly Christmas sweater? Will you be attending a more casual holiday event but you’d still like to be festive? And don’t leave out New Year’s Eve, the most sparkly holiday of all.
BUT…. make sure you set a budget for this, too. And stick with it!
Buy Tickets Now
So many things are still closed due to Covid-19 but it’s best to double check the shows or destinations you usually attend just to be sure. The things that are proceeding for the holidays will probably be open with limited capacity for proper social distancing. You’ll want to make sure you get tickets early to secure your spot.
Getting Ready for Your Holiday Parties
Now is the time to plan your dinners and parties and send out the invitations. December gets full for people pretty quickly so sending your invites early can help guarantee a good turnout.
Make sure to include what the night is about and how guests can participate (potluck, gift exchange, etc.) as well as the date, time, and address. If there are any special instructions or information (adults only, parking directives) be sure to include that as well.
Stock Up on Essentials
This is the time to make sure you’re stocked up on home essentials. You don’t want to be making last minute trips to the store before guests arrive (or in general).
You can stock up on things like:
- toilet paper
- paper towels
- tissues
- parchment paper
- aluminum foil
- trash bags
- hand soap
- toothpaste
Having these things on hand will help give you peace of mind and allow you to focus on what’s really important.
Getting Ready for Your Holiday Guests
Prepare for your overnight guests to make sure they feel at home during their stay. Start by making sure you have all the pillows and linens you need. This includes specific towels/washcloths just for guests as well as extra blankets in their room.
You should have toiletries on hand specifically for your guests. You may want to invest in some travel-size toiletries. Try to have anything on hand that could have been easily forgotten (i.e. toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, razor, etc.)
I like to leave my guests a little goodie basket in their room that includes some bottled water, granola bars, mints, chapsticks, lotion, etc. It’s a nice (and inexpensive) way to make them feel more welcome while giving them some essential products they could always use.
Get a few more tips on getting ready for overnight guests here.
Are You Ready?
The countdown to Thanksgiving and Christmas are on. Are you ready to get started? Do it now and save yourself some of the headache down the road. It’s worth it!
Have a blessed day!
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
Proverbs 21.5