With the holidays fast approaching I have started to organize and plan ahead. I have put together a quick little list for you to help you get ready for the holiday season. I hope you find this helpful!
1) If you come from a large family or do not have a lot of funds for Christmas gifts, pick names out of a hat and do a secret Santa gift exchange. This way you can do the holiday season without breaking the bank.
2) Make your list and check it twice. Christmas shopping can get insane if you let it! I like to start making my Christmas gift list and wish list in October so that when the holiday season arrives all of my Christmas shopping is complete.
3) Stock up on gift wrap, bows, ribbons, tape, and taggies for wrapping up all of the presents you are going to need to wrap. Want to be eco friendly and fun? Save your Sunday paper comics and use that as wrapping paper; it is brightly colored and entertaining!
4) Think about your Christmas Cards! I like to make my Christmas cards personal and include pictures of my family. You can do this too by using Storkie.com.
5) Display all of your holiday cards. Have a designated area where you display all of your holiday cards. Some people use the mantel of their fireplace while others use their refrigerator. A bloggy friend of mine suggested using a painted shutter to display holiday cards!
6) Make a game plan! Know where you are going to be spending the holidays and how long you are going to be there. If you have family that is spread out and you are going to try and spend a little bit of time with everyone being organized can make this transition easier on everyone.
7) Planning on staying at home? Plan your holiday meal ahead of time. I host Christmas Eve every year. My in-laws come over and we eat, go to church, and exchange gifts. Although the menu changes, my planning of the feast does not. I create a menu, then have all of the recipes organized and on hand for the big day. I have a grocery list of all of the items I will need to prepare the meal completed ahead of time.
8) A clean house is a happy house. I take the time to do a thorough cleaning of my home right before the holidays. I know that once the holidays arrive I will not have the time or inclination to really scrub my house clean. Doing this before life gets crazy can save your sanity!
9) Decorate! Nothing puts me in the holiday spirit like putting up my holiday decorations! From putting out my wreath to decorating the tree, nothing says winter wonderland like great holiday décor.
10) Decide which holiday traditions you are going to take and which holiday traditions are going to be left behind. You do not have to do everything your parents did, but you may want to hang on to the ones that you have fond memories of. What traditions do you want to pass down to your children?
I wrote this blog post while participating in the Storkie holiday blogging program. I received compensation for my participation. All opinions are 100% mine
Written by: Laura Andry
http://mommart.blogspot.com/
