Practical Ways to Get Ready for Christmas
We all know the holiday season can be overwhelming, but with a little advance preparation, you can get through the holidays without losing your mind! These Christmas planning tips are intended to ease your holiday stress and plan ahead for a Christmas season that feels more “all is calm, all is bright” than Jingle Bells on repeat.
One of the most important things you can do before and during the Christmas season is to manage your expectations.
This holds true in every area of holiday planning: decorating, food, shopping, and socializing.
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Prioritize and Manage Expectations
The first step in getting through the holidays without losing your mind is to prioritize. You need to decide what matters most to you and your family.
Of course, I’d recommend making a list, but if you feel resistant to that idea, just spend five minutes thinking about it.
- What makes Christmas feel like Christmas to you?
- How do you want to feel during the holiday season?
- What specific activities, events, or traditions do you love?
This could be anything and will be different for everyone. Maybe it’s spending less this year and not opening big bills in January. You might treasure cozy nights with your family watching movies or playing games. Or you might love packing your calendar with parties, holiday bazaars, and concerts.
Specifically name what you love and most want to be part of your life for the next two months.
Then, make those things the priority and decide that other things don’t need to matter to you, at least for this year.
You don’t have to bake homemade cookies…at all…if you don’t enjoy that. You don’t have to do a Christmas family photo shoot, you don’t have to say yes to every invitation. Recognize that you can’t do everything, and manage your expectations accordingly.
Here are a few plan ahead ideas to consider that might make the holiday season a tiny bit easier when you know what you want most, but you also have a lot of to-dos that feel necessary.
In keeping with the admonition to prioritize and manage expectations, don’t treat these suggestions as a to-do list. Take action on the items that appeal to you and make sense for your life and disregard the rest.
Plan Ahead Christmas Food Tips
1. In the few weeks before Thanksgiving, get two meals in the freezer ready to pull out on a busy night.
The easiest way to do this is to make double of something you’re already cooking and freeze half. Soups are a great option for this, lasagna, burritos or taco meat and rice.
2. Make a list of Christmas treats you intend to bake this year.
Find the recipe and print it out now. Scan through the recipes and make a grocery list of ingredients you need to purchase.
If you prefer a paperless option, create a Pinterest board for Christmas baking 2022 (or whatever your current year) or bookmark your favorites in your browser using a labeled folder.
3. Choose a favorite Christmas cookie or treat and make extra batches to freeze.
Use as hostess gifts, teacher gifts, or anyone you need a last-minute gift for. No need to make a big variety, just pick a signature item and give the same to everyone.
4. Decide on a signature side dish or dessert.
Anytime you need to bring something to a potluck or event where you’re contributing food, you’ll know exactly what to bring. Making the decision ahead of time eliminates the stress of trying to figure out what to make. If you prefer, choose a few selections so that you have a go-to recipe whether you’re asked to bring a side or a dessert. Print the recipes or keep them in a Pinterest board or bookmarked in a folder labeled so that you can quickly find them.
5. Buy meal-prep containers to use for holiday meal leftovers.
If you’re hosting, you’ll have something ready to send leftovers home with friends and family. And if you’re heading to your parents or in-laws, you’ll delight everyone by bringing leftover containers ready to portion out for yourself and others.
6. Plan your Christmas menu at the same time you plan your Thanksgiving dinner.
You don’t need to have every single detail nailed down, but decide on your main course, whether you’re making rolls or buying them, if you want to try a new recipe or stick with your traditional side dishes. Write it down. You’re already in the holiday meal planning mind space and it will be easier to come up with ideas. Gather your recipes and make your grocery list right alongside your Thanksgiving planning.
7. Make and freeze some of your Christmas dinner in advance.
Here are examples of items you can freeze ahead of time and reheat. There are many more, and a simple search of Christmas recipes to make and freeze will give you hundreds of options.
- pies
- cookies
- rolls or biscuits
- stuffing
- cranberry sauce
- gravy (if you plan to make gravy for Thanksgiving, freeze leftover gravy for Christmas)
8. Create a meal prep timeline.
- List all the items you plan to serve.
- Using the recipe, work backwards from the time you intend to eat to determine what time you need to begin preparation. Write down the start time for each dish.
- Next to the item start time, write down what appliance you will need for preparation (e.g. stovetop, oven, microwave). This will help you see where you may run into problems with your timeline. Consider using a crockpot, instant pot, or grill as options for cooking or keeping food warm.
(Don’t forget about asking someone else to contribute a dish that causes a conflict in your timeline!)
9. Have a plan for serving dishes.
Plan in advance which serving dishes you will use for each food item. One easy way to label your serving dishes is to write the name of each food item on a post-it or slip of paper and place them into the appropriate serving dish. You can do this well in advance if you like and take pictures for reference, or put them back in the cupboards with the post-it on them.
PLAN AHEAD FOR NEXT YEAR:
10. Make a list of favorites.
Keep a binder of Christmas planning ideas to pull out every year, or keep it electronically in a spreadsheet with clickable links. Save your favorite cookie recipes or Christmas dinner recipes so that next year, some of your planning is done.
Plan Ahead Christmas Decorating Tips
11. Confine your Christmas decor to a few areas of your home.
If by the time Christmas Day comes, you just can’t wait to get rid of all the “clutter,” maybe it’s time to take a more minimalist approach to holiday decorating. Think about a mantel, shelf, hutch, or wall that would have a big impact when you add some seasonal decorations and only add holiday decor to those areas, leaving plenty of white space so your senses aren’t overwhelmed.
12. Think about what particular Christmas decor is most meaningful to you.
Do you love driving up to your house and seeing festive lights? Does it make you happy to drink your morning coffee out of a Christmas mug? Does a specific candle scent bring relaxation and comfort? It takes a little bit of mental effort to consider what specifically you love and what is less important to you, but this effort will pay off by allowing you to eliminate things that don’t add much value for you in this busy season.
13. Assign one wrapping paper design to each member or your family.
If you have multiple kids and want to make it easy to distribute gifts, choose one Christmas wrap for each child and wrap all their gifts with that design. As a bonus, you don’t even have to add gift tags!
14. Make kids’ crafts pull double duty.
Christmas is the ultimate crafting season, but trying to add kids’ crafts to your already crammed schedule can feel overwhelming. The solution? Have your kids do crafts that pull double duty as useful decor!
- Buy rolls of brown kraft paper and give your kids a few Christmas stamps. Have them stamp away to create simple Christmas wrap. You’ll have festive wrapping paper, and they’ll be enjoying a fun Christmas craft project! You can also do this with plain brown or white gift bags.
- Have your older kids make place cards for your dinner guests.
- Gift tags can be made by your kids. Cut a stack of cardstock into 2×3 pieces or buy a package of blank business cards from an office supply store. Give them a stencil or Christmas cookie cutter to outline. They can add a Christmas stamp. Have them make dots or lines with colorful markers on just the bottom third of the tag. They can use Christmas washi tape to decorate the tags. Crafty kids may want to make Christmas perler bead patterns to glue onto the tag.
PLAN AHEAD FOR NEXT YEAR:
15. Take pictures of your Christmas decor.
Put away your decor according to where you used it. Box up your decor from each household area together. So for example, box all your mantel decor together and label it “mantel.” Take pictures of your Christmas decor and save them to an album on your phone or a folder on your computer. Label it so you can find it, and set a reminder on your phone to look at your Christmas decor photos in November of next year. You won’t have to figure out exactly how to arrange things (unless you like doing that), and you can quickly set up your Christmas decorations to enjoy!
16, Keep a separate bin or box for decor you want to access early.
Store items you want to access early in the holiday season separately from the rest of your Christmas decor. I keep items related to advent activities in a separate bin from the rest of my Christmas decor. Often I want to begin planning for the kids’ advent house or light a favorite Christmas candle before I’m ready to put up all the Christmas decorations.
Plan Ahead Christmas Shopping Tips
17. Keep a list on your phone of everyone you plan to shop for this Christmas.
You may want to use an app, such as Santa’s Bag, or just the Notes app on your phone. List each person’s name, and leave space to make notes of gift ideas. You’ll always have your list with you and can refer to it any time you’re in a store.
18. Choose one item to gift to multiple people on your list.
If you typically give small gifts to many teachers, co-workers, service providers, or a group of friends, this is a great way to cross off a whole bunch at once. This could be something you make, a cute Target find, or even a gift card.
19. Ask people on your list what they need or want most.
Ask your friends and family what they most wish for, beyond just a physical item, and encourage them to be honest. Maybe someone really needs a date night and you could babysit or offer a gift card. Your friend’s deepest wish may be for a personal chef so she didn’t have to figure out dinner every single night. She might love a couple of freezer meals or the promise of one meal per month delivered to her for the next six months. You can’t make everyone’s dreams come true, but you might find some meaningful gift ideas to offer in place of spending hours shopping online or wandering from store to store.
PLAN AHEAD FOR NEXT YEAR:
20. Keep your Christmas shopping list on your phone all year
As you get an idea for someone, make a note of that item next to their name. If they mention a consumable product they love or something they’ve always wanted, write it down. The less you have to rely on your memory, the better!
21. Make note of holiday items you need to replenish.
Throughout December, keep track of Christmas items you need to replenish, or that you’d like to purchase. Wrapping paper, gift bags, candles, paper goods.
Shop after-Christmas sales with your list in hand to snag what you know you’ll need at discounts. For several years, I’ve even bought gingerbread house kits for my kids at a huge discount after Christmas. We don’t eat them, just decorate them, and they work great a year later!
Plan Ahead Christmas Activity Tips
22. Look at your calendar now to see what you can eliminate.
Clear your schedule as much as possible between now and Christmas. You know there will be additional demands on your time. Do what you can to free up time for Christmas events, shopping, and parties.
23. Ask your family members what Christmas activities or traditions are most meaningful to them.
Try to incorporate one thing that each family member declares is important to them, and only add additional activities when you have the energy and enthusiasm for it.
24. Keep a calendar of Christmas events.
Find out the dates and times of Christmas events that are of interest to you.
- do a search for Christmas events in your city
- check social media for Christmas events in your area
- look on your town’s website for Christmas activities
- find out what activities are happening at your kids’ school, church, or other groups your family is involved with
- determine deadlines for giving trees, toy drives or other time-specific donations
- schedule volunteer commitments you plan to participate in
25. Schedule time to be at home.
Think through the things you want to do at home during the Christmas season. Set aside time on your calendar to watch Christmas movies, bake cookies, play a game, or do a puzzle. Remember…make time for the activities that make Christmas special for you.
PLAN AHEAD FOR NEXT YEAR:
26. Buy small advent gifts throughout the year.
If you do an advent calendar in December and want to offer alternatives to candy, stock up on tiny treats throughout the year. Label a shoebox size bin and tuck it in a drawer or under your bed to toss in mini-size gifts that will fit in whatever advent calendar you use.
Read: 12 Meaningful Advent Activity Ideas
27. Make notes to refer back to next Christmas.
Keep a note on your phone labeled Christmas Notes, and jot down things you want to remember about the best place to park, or how early to arrive or buy tickets for specific events. Make note of activities you don’t want to repeat and why, or which activities were an unexpected hit with your kids. As much as you’d like to think you’ll remember all this, you probably won’t! Set a reminder on your phone to skim through your notes in October or November next year.
Plan Ahead for Less Stress
Christmas is the season that can seem more frantic and chaotic than any other, especially for moms. How ironic that the season in which we most talk about love, peace, and joy is the one that often brings out our resentment, irritation, and discontent.
My final suggestion as you think through these tips to help you plan ahead for Christmas is to begin each morning with a grateful heart. Open your eyes and start a conversation with Jesus. Don’t wait for your “quiet time” or prayer time. You don’t have to finish the Wordle or check Instagram first. Thank God for the breath in your lungs today. Ask him for help with whatever’s on your mind. Request wisdom in making decisions and opportunities to extend love and grace to someone in your path today.
Leave space for the unexpected and look for opportunities to be grateful.
By planning ahead you are able to choose how you spend your time and money. Planning and preparing in advance means you can enjoy your Christmas season with less stress and more peace, knowing that you’ve taken steps to ensure what matters most to you won’t be overlooked in a mad dash to the new year.
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