The calendar has turned over to November, which means Christmas is sneaking up on us. Last year I did a Christmas Gift Challenge and I’m back for another round.
The Christmas Gift Challenge is this: Purchase all Christmas gifts before Thanksgiving. Last year I completed my shopping before December 1 and this year I am hoping to wrap it up before Thanksgiving.
One thing I have learned the past nine years of being a mom: Do things today that will make life easier tomorrow. My why for the Christmas Gift Challenge is this: If I purchase my Christmas gifts early, my December self is less stressed and more able to rest and savor the Christmas season.
The Christmas Gift Challenge simply means setting a goal for when you would like to be done Christmas shopping. Maybe it’s before Thanksgiving like me. Maybe it’s by December 1. Or maybe you like going to the stores in December and want to have your shopping all wrapped up the week before Christmas. We all have different preferences and life situations and finding what works for us specifically is important.
Here are the steps I’m walking through for my Christmas Gift Challenge:
Christmas Gift Challenge
Make a list
We need to make a list before we can start purchasing Christmas gifts. Make it and check it twice. I use an Excel spreadsheet every year, but a notebook or the Notes app will work, too. Include everyone you will purchase a gift for: grandparents, nieces, nephews, the mailman, your Starbucks barista. Leave no one out.
Set a budget
Setting a budget is important if we don’t want to go into debt during the holidays. If you’ve never set a budget, now is the time to do it. I set a budget for the whole of Christmas, but also on individual gifts. These boundaries help me shop and make sure I know how much I have to spend and where I want to spend it.
Shop
Once we have done the work of making the list and setting the budget, it’s time to shop. I do most of my shopping online, but will pick up some things in the stores in mid November. I utilize Amazon, of course, but I also like to shop small when I can. Charli Dean Designs, Doe a Deer, and Wax Buffalo are a few of my favorite spots to find special Christmas gifts.
Store the goods
Since many of us are shopping early, we need a place to store the goods. We don’t want to have to turn the house upside down in search of Great Grandma’s gift when we start wrapping gifts. My master bedroom closet is where I keep all the gifts. I will be real and say the closet gets a bit stuffed in November, but I make it work and I’m grateful gifts aren’t scattered throughout the house, especially when it’s time to wrap.
Don’t forget the wrapping
It’s easy to overlook the wrapping. One of my favorite things is wrapping gifts on December afternoons with a Hallmark Christmas movie playing in the background. I will save the wrapping for December, but I will make sure I have my wrapping supplies ahead of time.
The Christmas Gift Challenge can be tailored to meet your goals, preferences, and holiday life. If getting finished by Thanksgiving isn’t your thing, don’t do it. Set your own goal that makes sense for you and will make life easier for your Christmas self.
If we make a plan now for Christmas gifts, we will be more able to be present and enjoy the season with the ones we love. Will you join me in the Christmas Gift Challenge this year?
2 thoughts on “Christmas Gift Challenge”
Comments are closed.