Five tips to help you get ready for Christmas NOW, Christmas is a time of year that many of us love, but often the lead-up to the big day can be stressful. The truth is, we don’t help ourselves when it comes to the December rush. We can often leave everything until December rolls around and then spend more time getting ready rather than enjoying the festivities with our family and friends. Which isn’t what the day is all about.
So how can you get ready for Christmas ahead of the twelfth month? It is simple, planning is everything. Christmas is something that can be enjoyed and isn’t just down to us to make it all happen. With careful organising and planning, you can start to get ready for Christmas right now. Yes, you read that right! Wouldn’t it be nice to get to December knowing you had already made a big start? Here are some of the tips to consider when wanting to get ready for Christmas.
Table of Contents
Plan your Christmas budget
One of the first things you need to consider is the Christmas budget. Let’s face it, none of us enjoys discussing finances. Money can be a difficult topic of conversation to have, especially around spending it. But planning your budget means there are no nasty surprises when December rolls around. You can also start to save, or even have some of the big spending done before you even have to touch that last paycheque of the year.
Take time to budget not just for gifts but also things like the food and even events and days out you might want to have. In some cases, booking those things now will not only help you to spread the cost but also guarantee that you can do those things.
Start buying presents now
Things are reduced or placed in the sale throughout the year, so why not start buying for Christmas right now? If you notice a good deal on a toy or some clothes then buy them at a discounted price and put them away for Christmas.
The more you buy ahead of time, the more you can save money. If you want to be super organised you could even wrap the presents as you go. A great tip is to keep track of what you buy and how much it is. This will help if you have budgeted a certain amount for gifts and also enable you to avoid any duplicate purchases when you are out and about.
Add things to your food shop each week
Food and drink is another big expenditure at Christmas so why not try and spread the cost of it? We all know supermarkets are very quick to put out seasonal stuff months ahead of time, so you will notice that Christmas Chocolates and treats will likely be in the shops in September. Each week you could buy an extra bottle of pop or wine, perhaps a box of chocolates or some sharing crisps. It could be toiletries or other long-date items like Cheese. Buy one or two things each week and you will be stocked up and ready for Christmas.
Declutter your home
Christmas means that you are going to get new things coming into your home. This is especially evident with children and new toys. So now is the time to declutter your home ahead of Christmas day. You could declutter toys, donate them or sell them to add to your Christmas fund. You could look at decluttering your wardrobes and making space for new things.
It is even a good time to declutter your kitchen cupboards getting rid of out-of-date spices or dried foods so you have space for some of the new things you will want for Christmas day. The more you declutter, the less overwhelmed your home will feel after Christmas.
Create your Christmas lists
Finally, make sure you take time to create your Christmas lists. Write a list of the food, the presents, the decorations and the things you want to do ahead of the big day. Even note down cleaning tasks and bigger chores you want to complete. Having them in a list format helps you to tick a few things off as you go. Some of the jobs and things on the list will be able to be completed ahead of Christmas day and it will give you more time during the month to enjoy all of the festivities and fun.
Hopefully, these tips will help you start to get ready for Christmas.
