If you start to plan for Christmas early you can avoid a lot of Christmas stress. It only takes a small amount of time each month to be ready by the time the holidays are here.
Christmas stress is often caused by feeling rushed to get everything done at the last minute. You have presents to buy, a house to decorate, food to cook, parties to attend, and so much more.
We end up so busy with the stuff that we are often unable to enjoy the Christmas season. Planning ahead for Christmas helps reduce this stress and gives us more time during the holiday season to actually enjoy it.
How early you start is up to you but the earlier the better!
How to Plan for Christmas Right Now
Do Your Research
Start researching what you want to do this year. Think about last year and what everyone enjoyed. Also, start making a list of what you need to do before Christmas.
If you want more help in this area, be sure to read A Stress-Free Christmas: A Complete How-To Guide. It will walk you through all the steps.
Talk to Your Family About Your Plans
We often keep traditions alive thinking everyone loves them when really no one is enjoying it anymore. It’s okay to stop old traditions to create new ones.
Take some time for the family to get together and talk about what Christmas traditions and activities everyone truly loves and are worth continuing.
Creating a Christmas bucket list can help you make sure you are really spending your time and money on the things you care about.
Create a Christmas Planner
Being organized is key so be sure you have everything written down and organized. The best way to do this is with a Christmas planner.
You can just use a notebook or a normal planner. If you want to be really organized and have some of the work done for you check out my Christmas planner. It has everything ready for you so all you have to do is print it out and fill it in.
Additional Resource: How to Create a Christmas Planner
Prepare a Little Each Month
Don’t try to get all your Christmas tasks done at once. When filling out your planner think about all the things you want to have done before the holiday season and then decide when you can do them.
Spreading the tasks out will make it easier and help you stay on track. When we get overwhelmed we can just stop even trying.
Additional Resource: Free Printable Monthly Tasks
Start Saving Money
Saving a little bit of money all year is so much easier than trying to find all of it in your budget in December. Now is also a great time to start a side-hustle. You can use this extra income to build your Christmas budget without taking money from your regular budget.
Additional Resource: Budget to Save Money for Christmas All Year
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