Now that Halloween has passed us by, it’s time to look ahead to the holidays! If you find yourself dreading the stress of the upcoming season, you may want to take some steps to simplify and organize your calendar before you find yourself overwhelmed and overcommitted. There are 8 weeks between Halloween and Christmas, whereas the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas can change year to year. If you try to wait until after Thanksgiving to begin preparing for Christmas, you’ll find you have more or less time based on the year. Start now to adjust your schedules and tasks for both months and come out on top of this holiday season. 

Thanksgiving and Christmas both have their family traditions. For some people the holidays are always held in the same town or location, for others there is a rotating schedule of who will host the festivities. If you are traveling for the celebrations, it’s best to make reservations ahead and also seek out less costly transportation and accommodations. If you have family visiting your home, you may want to add arrivals and pickups on your calendar, and plan out when you’ll accomplish extra tasks like changing out the sheets on the beds, cleaning restrooms, hiding or wrapping gifts before the grandchildren can spot them, shopping for extra groceries, etc.

Traveling for the holidays may also impact your gift giving plans and what you will ship or pack in your suitcase. If you will be seeing family at Thanksgiving but not at Christmas, you may want to have your Christmas shopping done early so you can deliver your presents at Thanksgiving. If you’re traveling for Christmas, what types of gifts are you willing to ship versus place in your luggage? Evaluate whether or not you will have time to shop at your destination. You may be able to pick up presents or gift cards for local stores and restaurants at your destination. Please note that if you are traveling with presents, you may have to wrap them at your destination due to TSA regulations. If you wrap them ahead of boarding, the TSA may unwrap them when inspecting your baggage.

When you look ahead at your calendar for November and December, note all of the events you have coming up on the weekends. A busy weekend schedule will cut down on time you have for gift shopping and wrapping, food preparations, house cleaning and decorating. Filing out your weekend plans can help you delegate other holiday tasks that take less time to your weeknights. Can you sign cards or wrap gifts while relaxing to holiday music or watching a holiday film? Will you declutter, dust or vacuum while dinner is in the oven? Are there dry or canned ingredients you can purchase weeks ahead to use for your holiday meals or with holiday leftovers? Try to find ways to break down your holiday to do lists so all of your preparations won’t sneak up on you all at one time. 

As you look ahead at your holiday calendar, be sure to note any vacation days that are coming up for yourself and your family. Note when the kids and grandkids are off from school and see if you can incorporate more family time into the events you already have planned. For example, if you will be volunteering at a family friendly event over the holidays, see if your family wants to attend. If you find it takes you longer each year to pull out the holiday decorations and decorate the house inside and out, then look for a day or weekend that works for your family to come together for the festivities. Maybe your grandchildren can help you decorate the home or make holiday cookies, while their parents get that needed break for Christmas shopping. More hands make for a lighter work load and having your family come together for more than a meal can increase the joy during the season’s tasks!

Look for ways to create memories, share traditions and enjoy the holidays together.  Would it reduce your stress to minimize your own holiday decor and decorating time, so you can join your extended family in decorating their home and see them pass on traditions? Are there decorations you can pass down to the next generation or homemade decorations that you can create with your grandchildren, just like you did with your own children?  Take the time to sort out ornaments or decorations that you no longer need or want. Keep your favorites, discard the broken items and choose whether to gift, donate or sell the items that you no longer use. Unwanted ornaments may be used to decorate wrapped presents or gift bags and add a little pizzazz to your gift wrap. Spending a few minutes here or there to downsize your decor can save you time after the holidays when you pack it all away and save time next year when you break it out again. It can also reduce the space needed to store it all and the cost of moving it if you decide to downsize to a new home in the new year.  If you decorate early enough in the season, you can pass onward your unwanted decor and someone else can still use them this year. 

If you love baking Christmas cookies but don’t have the energy to make all the family favorites this year, consider doing a family cookie exchange and delegate a few of the batches to others. You could also set a date to have family or friends over for a cookie day, where they each bring ingredients, cookie tins and baking sheets, and you can all make a bunch of cookies at one time. This can save on having to clean your kitchen over and over again in the busy holiday season. 

If making the entire holiday meal is too much to handle this year, try delegating side dishes to other family members or asking them to join you in your kitchen so you can spend time together preparing the meal. Look for recipes that allow you to prep dishes a day or two ahead or that taste better when reheated, such as twice-baked potatoes. 

The holidays are best spent with the ones we love. How will you incorporate more time with your family and friends into your seasonal calendar? 

As you continue on with your holiday planning, try to combine your efforts to save time and enjoy the errands on your to-do-list. If you are mailing pre-printed cards, you can sign them while watching your favorite holiday films. If you are out running errands or picking up groceries for the holidays, be sure to pick up some postage stamps or any special mailers or boxes you may need for shipping. Purchasing gift cards at your local grocery store can often impact your club points and may result in gas discounts, grocery discounts or a free turkey or ham. Can you save time by purchasing gifts for multiple family members or friends in one box store or website? Can you save money by combining items into one shipment or with one trip in the car? 

When you call to discuss upcoming Thanksgiving plans, ask what each person needs or wants for Christmas or Hanukkah and begin making your shopping list. By planning early, you’ll know exactly what you are searching for when the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales begin. If your family or friends have all they need, consider gifting them with an experience such as dinner at their favorite restaurant, a night at the theater or cinema, tickets to a sporting or musical event, or a vacation or bus trip. A future day-trip, a special sleepover, or a mystery date with the grandparents can be very exciting for grandchildren and extend the holiday season into the new year. 

If you will be visiting the stores or websites in search of presents for your family, consider putting your shopping list in the Notes app on your smartphone or in a small notebook that you can carry with you. Keeping a Christmas gift list allows you to update the list with purchases and prices so you don’t overspend. It’s a handy list to have when you can’t remember who you still need to shop for and when you are searching your home’s hiding places for the gifts that are waiting to be wrapped. Having a designated gift closet or a special place to store gift cards can reduce the time spent searching for lost items. 

What suggestions do you have for saving time and enjoying your holiday errands? 

As you plan for the upcoming holidays and review your calendar, make a note of when you want to mail out your Christmas cards or invitations. How far in advance of this date will you need to sign or print your cards? Do you need to start looking through the year’s photos now for your holiday photo card? 

While you search for the perfect photos to share, take a few moments to delete or toss the photos that aren’t the best quality, most flattering, or are too similar. It’s a great way to cut down on photography clutter, either digitally or in the home. If you will be making a photo book or ordering any photo gifts, you’ll want to note the deadlines for such orders and mark your calendar accordingly. Look back through your calendar and jot down any notes for what you’ll include in your holiday letter. Your calendar can be a great source of inspiration and remind you of the year’s vacations, visits with family, and events you’ve attended that you may want to share in your letter. Start off the new year with computer file folders labeled “Christmas Card” or “Christmas Letter” where you can add copies of digital pictures that may make next year’s card or you can add notes or stories for that holiday letter. By adding to these files throughout the year, you’ll be able to save time as the busy season approaches. 

If you have collected Christmas cards from loved ones over the years and now need to downsize them for a future move, sort through your cards and see which ones could be trimmed down to serve as gift tags on your presents. You’ll not only save on space, but may just find a new way to show off your crafting and recycling skills on your gifts. 

When it comes time to wrap your presents, having all of your tools at the ready can speed up the process. Designate a gift center in your house to store your gift wrapping supplies or set up a holiday workstation so you can easily access the wrapping paper, boxes, tissue paper, ribbons, bows, gift tags, scissors and tape when you’re ready to wrap. Turn on your favorite holiday music or movie to set the mood. Don’t forget to set aside a cup of coffee, tea or cocoa to enjoy. Keep it on a side table so you don’t spill your favorite drink when wrapping those oversized items. 

What uses have you found for old holiday cards? Do you have any holiday time saving tips or gift wrapping suggestions? 

With the hubbub of the holidays, remember to plan time to relax and enjoy the season. Take a break in the middle of preparing that big meal to absorb the smells, sights and sounds. What do you love about being in the kitchen? What memories do you have when you inhale the smell of that turkey, fish, or ham? Listen to the parade on television in the background, the laughter of your family, or the holiday music on the radio. Take in the sight of your family and friends as you gather at the table or around the living room and embrace the time you have together. 

Take some time to list the reasons you’re grateful at Thanksgiving or jot down what Christmas or Hanukkah really mean to your faith. Is there a special devotional or meditation you can use at this time of year to center yourself and remind you of what is most important? 

What will you take away from this year’s preparations and gathering times?  What changes have you seen in your family and friends over this past year? Pause amidst the hustle and bustle as you decorate, prepare, and celebrate each holiday to soak it all in. Take a mental picture and a moment to enjoy the people with which you are spending this day. Be present as a present to yourself. 

Be kind to the strangers shopping alongside you or waiting with you in line. Smile and share a laugh, tell a holiday story, or point them to the gift they are seeking. Be neighborly with those you meet in the parking lot or behind the counter. You can be the reason someone is thankful this year. You can be a gift to those who are missing family, are mourning a loved one or are feeling a little lonely. 

How will you embrace the holidays and share that joy with others that you encounter?