5 Things to do Now to Prep for Christmas

There are only 55 days left until Christmas! There are only 8 more Fridays until Christmas! 8 weeks! If you haven’t already started your Christmas preparations, then it’s time to get busy. I’ve got some simple ideas to help you organize, prioritize, and be ready for the big day!

I like to buy items throughout the year when I spot something that I know someone on my list will love. I keep a stash of those items in one of our guest room closets. The first thing I do when November begins is to sort through the items. I’m always glad to have this head start for my holiday shopping. 

Taking advantages of after Christmas sales each year saves lots of money and time. I’ve found that the second day after Christmas is when I find the best deals on wrapping paper, ribbon, cards, and paper products like napkins and cups. Since I buy this before I’ve put away our Christmas decorations, the new items are packed up and put into our storage room along with the rest. 

But what if you haven’t done any shopping or you didn’t have a chance to hit the sales right after Christmas last year? If you’re looking at November 1st and thinking, it’s time to get started, I’ve got a few suggestions that might be helpful.

5 Things to do now to prep for Christmas

• Decide on your holiday decor.
  Will you be using the same decor as last season? Do you want to add some new pieces? Do you want to switch up the look entirely? Make a list of any new decor pieces that you plan on purchasing. Compare prices on line for those items. Remember to use sites like Wikibuy or Shop Savvy to find discounts.
• Bring out your Christmas bins and begin sorting through them.
  Every year, I find items that I haven’t used in years and decide to incorporate some of them into this year’s decor. Doing this means less shopping      and I can change up the look with items I already have.
• Make The List -you know the one. It’s the one that you’ll check twice or a dozen times!
  Download the app called Santa’s Bag on your smart phone. It’s a game changer. It prompts you to set your budget, add recipients, gifts, and status of gifts. It keeps a running tally of your spending as you enter information. While you’re out shopping, just take a moment to enter the information and it becomes a handy reference and a big help as you continue your gift shopping.
• Make a list of those people not in your inner family or close circle of friends for whom you plan to buy gifts.
  It’s easy to remember those close to you that are on your gift list, but there are usually lots of other, smaller gifts that you’ll buy, too.  The Santa’s Bag app has a separate listing for friends and family. Making a list helps you to remember things like hostess gifts for parties you’ll be attending or Secret Santa gifts, or school or church related gifts. If you’re a crafter, you can use November to create unique gifts for lots of these people.
• Purchase wrapping paper, ribbons, and cards and set up a wrapping station if you have room in your home to do so.
  
  One of our guest bedrooms becomes Christmas central during November. I use a large basket to hold wrapping paper, ribbon, and gift tags.  Another basket holds tape, scissors, and a marker for writing the gift tags. Spend a few minutes each day wrapping presents. That way, you won’t  feel overwhelmed as Christmas approaches. I love having as many presents as possible wrapped and ready to be placed under the tree as soon as  we put it up. 

These are all things that help me get organized and stay ahead of the curve in my Christmas preparations. I hope you’ll find some of them beneficial, too.  I’d love to hear your ideas for Christmas Prep. 

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5 Things to do Now to Prep for Christmas

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