Friday 18 September 2015

Why September is the Best Time to plan for Christmas

So the Summer is over and the children have (willingly?) returned to school.  Whilst some of us are picking ourselves up and dusting ourselves off from the previous seven weeks of constant, fantastical mayhem...you'll find me nestled into our massive cuddle chair with pen and paper in hand and the inner list monster inside me just waiting to be unleashed!  This will be our third Christmas together as a family and if there is anything that the previous two have taught me is that you can never be too prepared.   In fact, starting at the beginning of the year is a great time to start (particularly if you'd like to put some money away) but September seems the perfect time to begin preparations.  Although you may shudder at the thought of gift shopping, decorating and planning family outings as early as September, it really does seem to make everything a lot easier and can make your Christmas experience a whole lot less stressful!  So to all you avid Christmas Eve shoppers please do AVERT your eyes!

Here are the tips that work for us:

The Power of Lists
Writing a list is one of the best ways to bring clarity to your mind.  You can write a list to remember things, prioritize items, become focused and identify your goals.  I find that when I write a to do list or a to get list I am far more organised than when I don't.  I remember all the things needing done, I feel less stressed, more focused and things just seem downright easier.  When preparing for Christmas I make several lists e.g:
- Gifts to buy
- Gifts to make
- Advent Activities
- Events during December
- Service Opportunities

Often I find myself making lists for or inside my main lists.  For example, the 'Gifts to buy' list would be separated and categorized into the different family members we would be giving gifts to e.g:
-Gifts to buy:
HUNTERS (my family)                               
- Benjamin: Package of goodies
- Amber: My Little Pony                              
- Dad: A telescope
NICHOLSONS (Marks family)
- Levi: Wooden horse
- Susan: Makeup set
- Kieron: Jumper & Book
OUR FAMILY
Lillie: Baby & toy pram, train set etc.
- Mark: Lego Set 

There is a great blog post shown in the link below with Christmas list templates that you can purchase on Etsy for a small amount in order to keep your Christmas as organised as possible! Check Katie's blog below:

What is Important to you? 
I would say that getting your priorities straight from the beginning will save a lot of wasted time.  Ask yourself 'What is most important to me this Christmas?'  or 'Which aspect of Christmas do I want to spend most of my time preparing for?'  This will differ from person to person so its important to figure out what's at the top of the list for you.  Are you desperate to spend as little as you can this year but still manage to give the gifts you'd like and have the special meal you're dreaming of?  Maybe you'd like to create a masterpiece Christmas tree admired by all who set eyes upon it?  Or perhaps you want to bring the family together for a few moments every day of December to participate in a seasonal tradition?  Whatever it is put it to the top of your list and keep it there throughout all of your Christmas Prep.

Creating that Gift List
Start now and make a list of the people you would like to give a gift to this year.  Next to each person I always write how much I am willing to spend. This is just so there is a rough budget and I don't over-spend - I am very much a person who believes that it is the gift that counts and it doesn't matter to me much how little or big I spend.  Once I have thought of a specific gift I would like to buy or create for someone I make sure to have a browse online to check for the best prices and I am always careful to wait and watch for those sales that come in November! Sometimes we can get a bit stumped trying to pick out a gift for someone and that's okay! I usually try to make sure I have something picked for everyone by the end of October.

Start Buying Now
Once my list is pretty much complete I pick out a couple of things that I can afford to purchase now.  Spreading the costs over the next few months can really help instead of spending a huge amount of money in one go in December.  I try and focus the gift purchasing around our pay days, purchasing a few things at a time.  As there are so many people in our family I do find that when December comes I still have a few things on the list to get but we always manage to do it and I know we are so much better off because I begun the purchasing a few months before.

Find a Special Gift Place
I personally do not wrap presents until December.  In fact, I do a lot of my wrapping just a couple of days before!  This is mainly because I enjoy it and include it as a regular Christmas tradition.  But wrapping presents early can be confusing - one might forget what one bought for one's brother-in-law!  So I think it is good to find some space in your home and keep all the Christmas gifts together.  This also keeps things from being lost or forgotten about.  How many of you can admit to losing or forgetting about a gift or two over the years?  MUM?


 Create Several Calendar Templates for December
This is one of my top tips!  Create a few copies of the month of December (in calendar form) showing you each day of the week.  This will come in handy if December is a jam-packed, busy month for you as it is for many people.  I would use one to put together our family advent activities (1st: bake Christmas cookies, 2nd: Watch the Grinch, 3. Go carol singing etc.).  I'd use another to plan out any events we would be attending throughout December: 12th: Visit the Deer Centre, 17th: Ward Christmas activity, 24th: Christmas Eve Service.  You can even use the calendar to decide on days you will make purchases, decorate and participate in other seasonal activities.  Make them big and stick them up somewhere that you will look at them often.

Write your Christmas Cards now
What a great time saver for Christmas time! Lots of people do Christmas cards differently. Last year we took a family photo and made it into a fridge magnet for all our friends and family. This year we will probably put another family picture together. So why not take a picture now and get it printed? Or if you prefer to choose pretty cards to send out have a look online or in the stores. Lots of stores begin selling Christmas stock in September. Write them out and deal them. Start collecting stamps and set a date on your calendar in December to post them out.  

January Sales
I hate to slip this tip in here as it won't help those planning for this coming Christmas!  But I think it is a worthy tip that should be remembered for next year.  Wrapping paper, decorations and gifts that didn't sell will all be widely discounted in January.  Take advantage and stock up on the wrapping paper and ribbon!  This is something you can check off the list for next year and hide away in the attic till then.  If you love a decorated house at Christmas you can often find decorations you seen, loved but couldn't afford discounted at a much healthier price!  Some people even buy gifts for next Christmas in these sales (something I have not yet braved) but if you're feeling up for it - go for it and grab yourself a bargain!

Make Service a part of your Christmas
My final tip is to do something good for someone else this Christmas!  You can be as prepared as you like, spend as much time as you like decorating your tree or finding the perfect gifts but it is my belief that Christmas won't be at its greatest until we take the time to show some love and give some service.  This by no means needs to be a huge gesture.  There are so many things we can do to make someone else's Christmas as jolly as ours.  Here are some examples from my own past Christmases:
- Singing Christmas Carols for the Elderly in a Care home.
- Inviting the local Missionaries (young men & women spending two years of their lives and therefore 2 Christmases away from their families to spread the message of Christ) to come help decorate the Christmas tree.  Providing a special, early Christmas dinner for them!
- Baking cupcakes for the neighbours and visiting them on Christmas Eve.

Stay stress free this Christmas and enjoy the most wonderful time of the year.  These tips allow me to do that: I don't have to worry about how we will have enough money to pay the bills AND pay for Christmas in December, I won't/don't have to drag my little children out to the shops desperately trying to find some gifts at the last minute and ultimately, I can focus on my family and have a wonderful month together.  I can centre our Christmas on its true meaning which (to me) is the celebration of Jesus Christ, His birth and His purpose on Earth.  Whatever Christmas means to you take the time to focus on it and treasure it by getting all the other stuff out of the way and start your planning in September.

2 comments:

  1. This is a fantastic article! I love making lists too, the idea of starting in September is good advice, I wish I were this good, the problem I have is that the minute I buy something I cannot keep it to myself, I get so excited and I usually end up buying gifts three times because I find reasons to give them in advance! xx

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    1. Hahahaha I know exactly what you mean! Giving gifts is such a thrill! So it can be difficult to keep it secret until the special occasion comes around.

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