The year’s busiest season is right upon us with only six weeks until Christmas and holiday time.

It’s a season some people love. For others, the anxiety and rush of last minute to-do’s is all too overwhelming.

You can envision it all now … the shopping mania, gifts waiting to be wrapped, holiday preparations and chores waiting to be done, all being crammed into your crowded calendar. Especially if you have kids at school. My, oh my. Juggling Christmas prep along with usual day-to-day activities, plus all of the end of year concerts, performances, assemblies and the like. Who’s got time to sleep!

Some simple planning can make a big difference.

Let’s make a plan to help avoid the end of year rush.

We promise we’ll help you keep sane while the world bursts with excitement!

Planning The Weeks Leading Up To Christmas

1. Use November To Start The Prep

November is a good time to start, if not earlier. My friends who love to bake for Christmas usually start at the end of October.

Baking season started for my lovely friend, Lisa. She usually starts in November, but started earlier this year. Here’s a pic of her prep for baking 😋

Other things you can do to prep are:

• Update your holiday card list. You might have a new family member or friends not included last year.
• Shop for cards and papers. You might have depleted your supply last year.
• Make a master gift list.
• Allocate budget to every expense you see coming.
• Start shopping. You can do early shopping for gifts, decors, and even food supplies.
• Buy online. Or you can start ordering them online for them to arrive the next few weeks or just in time in December.
• Take decor stocktake. What else do you need for this year’s celebrations?

2. Print Your Planner

Print it, post it on the refrigerator, put the key dates and tasks in your phone. Whatever works best for you.

Consult it daily. This will help you stay on track.

3. Organize Specific December Tasks

To avoid all the chaos, let’s organize your tasks using a weekly checklist. We’ve started it for you here. You can add more tasks or chores that suit your needs.

First week of December

• Mail your greetings cards
• Mail gifts that require time for delivery
• Decorate the house
• Buy a live tree (or put up your synthetic one) and decorate.

Second Week

• Start shopping for non-perishable items (ie Christmas wine and chocolates)
• Send out the remaining gifts before December 10 so they will arrive on time. Remember cargos are extra busy during this time
• Start deep cleaning the house. Nothing is merrier than a clean house. You will then only need to touch up high-traffic areas before the big day.

Days Before

• Buy your fresh ingredients
• Start prepping for cooking. Cut up vegetables, preparing broths, sauces or whipping recipes that need days to make
• Ask family members to help with the last preparations.

A Day Before

• Cook and bake things you can’t make in advance
• List down your priority and start with those that needs to be prepared the longest
• A quick wipe down of bench tops and bathrooms. Vacuum the floor.

Have we missed anything? Let us know what preparations you take in the lead up to the holiday season.

Access Our FREE Christmas Planners Pack

You can read all about our printable and interactive Christmas Planners Pack here.

It’s super-easy to gain access to our Christmas Planners:

FREE Christmas Planners Pack For Premium Subscribers

If you are a Premium Subscriber, you can access your Christmas Planner from your account, or by following this link.

FREE Christmas Planners Pack For Existing Newsletter Subscribers

If you a Newsletter Subscriber, look out for the link to access your Christmas Planner in the next newsletter.

If you can’t wait until then, you can email the Help Desk team and they will send you a link.

FREE Christmas Planners Pack For *NEW* Newsletter Subscribers

All you have to do to get your FREE copy is to be signed up to our newsletter.

There’ll be a special download link available in our next newsletter.

You can sign up now!