You’re reading that right. It’s October and we are talking Christmas Prep. I know we haven’t stalked the neighbors for trick or treat candy, yet, but the holidays always always sneak up on us. Today I’m sharing some ways to Christmas Prep the next few weeks so we can experience more joy and less stress this Christmas season.
I’m on Year 3 of prepping and planning early for Christmas. (See Year 1 and Year 2) And friends, it’s probably one of the best things I do for my December self. I usually begin Christmas Prep in September, sometimes August. Starting early has allowed me to have some of the best Decembers of my adult life. Starting Christmas Prep early allows me to be intentional with how I want to spend December and how much stress I allow to enter our home during the most magical time of the year.
Some of these ideas could work for you and some won’t make sense for your family. Take what works and leave the rest.
Here are a few ways I Christmas Prep:
Christmas Prep
Gifts
Gifts are one of the first things that come to mind when thinking about Christmas. The biggest thing we can do right now to Christmas Prep in the area of gifts is to make a list, set a budget, and brainstorm ideas for loved ones. I use the same excel spreadsheet year to year, simply adding a new tab for each new year. If Excel isn’t your thing, a notebook or even the Notes app will do the job. In the spreadsheet I list the people to buy for, the budget for the gift, and the idea for the gift.
There are a few things I have found helpful when brainstorming and purchasing Christmas gifts.
Begin Early
We don’t have to stand in long lines in December if we don’t want to. The first year I shopped early, I was floored by how much more time I had in December. Did you know the average woman spends 20 hours Christmas shopping each year? If we save all that shopping for December, that’s a part time job for a whole week. By beginning Christmas shopping early, we are able to spread out the shopping and have more time for what matters in December.
Batch Shop
I don’t know if this is an actual term or if I just made it up. Batch shopping is buying a similar gift or genre of gift for a specific group of people. There are a couple ways to do this.
One way to batch shop is to gift the same gift to a group of people. For example, all the kids’ teachers receive a Starbucks gift card and a plate of homemade cookies or all the cousins receive a book and a pair of cozy slippers.
Another way to batch shop is to give the same genre of gift to a group of people. For example, every child receives a book, but the book reflects their passions or preferences. Another example is gifting a dinner out to your siblings and parents, tailoring it to their favorite restaurant.
Batch shopping reduces decision fatigue, simplifies shopping, while still making friends and family members feel loved.
Buy less gifts
I’m hesitant to mention this one, but here I go. If you want a little less stress this Christmas, think about having conversations now about opting out of exchanges or changing them up. Consider foregoing exchanges between adult sibling groups or doing a ‘favorite things’ exchange with a friend group instead of buying gifts for everyone. Most of us have what we need and want and a lot of these gift exchanges turn into returns on January 2nd. I think it’s safe to say many of us have returned a gift from a well intentioned family member.
If we want a little less stress this Christmas, let’s begin a conversation now about opting out or simplifying gift exchanges this Christmas.
Readying the Pantry and Freezer
For the next few weeks, I am readying our pantry and freezer by using up food items currently housed on the shelves. I am buying less groceries and using what we have so we can stock up on all the holiday goodies when the time comes.
A few weeks before Thanksgiving, I will stock up on all the baking supplies I usually use during the holidays: flour, sugar, chocolate chips, sprinkles, pie crusts, peanut butter, vanilla. I also stock up on ingredients for comfort food: butternut squash, bacon, chicken stock, and yeast for bread.
Readying our home now takes one thing off my plate later.
The Christmas Calendar
I know it seems premature to start making Christmas plans in October. However, I would argue that if we don’t set our priorities as a family and make our plans now, someone else could do it for us come December. This past weekend, Kevin and I sat down and talked through our family’s holiday priorities. We put those priorities on the calendar. In October.
One thing I am going to test out this year is writing REST on the calendar. I wrote REST on 7 days in December and I am hopeful this will help us be intentional with not trying to do alllll the things. Even though Instagram and Facebook tempt and tease us with the possibility of doing the next fun, festive thing, it’s impossible to do it all. Impossible. Rest is imperative all the time, but especially during the holidays. It allows us to be more present with the ones we love and supplies us with energy for all the fun Christmas things.
Traditions
Anyone else love Christmas traditions? I love a good tradition, especially a Christmas one. I am a sucker for window shopping traditions and then trying them out to see if they fit. However, this usually ends poorly, in the manner of an over-stressed mom (me) juggling too many advent calendar activities or cookie recipes.
Last year I decided to make a will and will not list for traditions. These are traditions our family will and will not do together. For me, there is definitely power in the will not list.
Our family will…
Go to a tree farm to pick out our tree and decorate it together.
Deliver gifts to our neighbors.
Host our annual gingerbread party.
Read a Christmas book each day.
Go to the Durham Museum to look at the big tree.
Make a birthday cake for Jesus.
Our family will not…
Do elf on the shelf.
Wrap a book up for each day in December.
Visit every Santa sighting.
Let Facebook and Instagram talk me into more traditions.
This will not list will help with my inevitable FOMO during the Christmas season. My lists will be different from your lists and that’s the way it should be. There is no right way to do Christmas.
I yearn for a little more joy and a lot less stress this Christmas season. I want to be present for my people and have time and space to celebrate the reason for the season: the baby born to save the world. My hope is some Christmas Prep now will help get me there.
Will you Christmas Prep this year?