10 Christmas Planning Tips with Timeline for Busy Moms

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Christmas is joyful and the best season of holidays for many. However, getting ready for Christmas can be overwhelming. But with prior Christmas Planning, you can have a memorable Christmas holiday without last-minute hassle. In this post, I am sharing with you Christmas planning tips to help you plan Christmas for your family with ease. If you are a working mom with no time for holiday preparation, you need to plan in advance and make the best of the time. The Christmas planning to-do list and timeline will help you plan a fun-filled holiday for your family without stress.

Let’s get started with Christmas planning

Why you should do Christmas Planning?

Christmas is a holiday time that we all look up to. It’s a joyful time when you can ditch the work and bond together with family and friends. So we all want to make it perfect and memorable. There are so many things that one must plan for Christmas from gifts to decor, meals, and many more. By doing Christmas preparation you can:

• Plan your Christmas the way you want instead of settling for something last-minute.
• Avoid unnecessary stress and last-minute chaos.
• Stay on budget and not overspend.
• Get the most thoughtful gifts.
• Enjoy Christmas instead of working till the last moment.

Use a Christmas Planner

Before we get into the details of planning for Christmas planning and preparation I highly recommend using a Christmas planner for better planning and preparations for Christmas.

A Christmas planner becomes your ultimate organizational tool. It helps you specifically plan things just for Christmas and avoid getting distracted by your regular tasks. You can make a note of every minute detail in the planner as it is specifically designed for Christmas preparation needs. You can stay on top of your tasks, keep track of your budget, and ensure that no important detail gets overlooked. It allows you to make to-do lists, shopping lists, and schedule events. And most importantly it will help you beat the chaos around the holiday season and streamline all the Christmas preparation.

Here is a Christmas planner that will be helpful for you.

Christmas Planning To-Do List

Here are 10 things to do before Christmas to help you with Christmas planning.

1: Reflect on the last Christmas

Before starting with your Christmas preparation I would suggest you take a few moments to reflect back on your Christmas last year and make note of things that you enjoyed and would like to do again. These can be simple things like having hot chocolate milk together with family or watching Christmas movies together. You can turn these favorite things into your family Christmas tradition. Also, you should also make note of things that you did not enjoy last Christmas and avoid them this year. Make note of some mistakes or confusions that affect your last year’s plans and ensure necessary preparations to avoid the mistakes from happening again.

2: Plan the Holidays and lock the key dates

Discuss with family and friends to make a schedule for Christmas. With everyone looking forward to the holiday season it is very difficult to make bookings at the end moment or find everyone’s availability. If you are planning to travel make sure you lock the dates and make necessary bookings. If you are planning for a family get together discuss with everyone to decide on the right date and time. During holidays getting restaurant reservations is challenging too. If you are planning to eat out with friends and family decide on dates and the restaurant and make the bookings in advance. I highly recommend making a schedule for each day of your Christmas holidays to make the most of it and avoid inconveniences.

3: Make a Christmas Budget

We all love to shower our loved ones with gifts, get the best Christmas decor for the home a have a perfectly set up Christmas Eve dinner table. All these cost money and you do not want to spend all your earnings on Christmas. Hence you should make a Christmas budget and allocate some money for everything related to the Christmas celebration. Your budget must be realistic and state the amount you are going to spend for each thing. Here are some of the things that you may be spending on:

• Gifts for family, friends, and coworkers
• Shopping
• Christmas Decor
• Groceries for meals
• Travel expenses
• Dine outs
• Gift packing

Assigning funds will help you to stay within budget and avoid overspending. You must also consider savings for Christmas throughout the year to not let money limit you from having a fun Christmas.

4: Plan for Christmas Gift

One of the best parts of Christmas is the joy of giving gifts to others and the grateful feeling of receiving gifts. Who does not like to receive gifts? Like no one. Make a list of all the people to whom you would like to give gifts. Next spend time to think of thoughtful gifts for the person based on their needs and liking. You can also split your gift budget to the individual in your gift list to have a price range for reference while looking for the gifts for them.

By planning gifts well in advance you can even explore the opportunity to make some DIY gifts and explore the options for getting some items from sale or getting a gift online that may be cheaper in price but has a long delivery time.

You may read my post 60 Gifts for Coworkers for All Budgets and 60 Best Gifts For Working Moms for some thoughtful gift ideas.

5: Declutter and Organize for Christmas

Christmas is a good opportunity to do a decluttering around the house. These may be decluttering your wardrobe to make space for new Christmas shopping and gifts or going through Christmas decor items to look for things that you may not like to use anymore. You can also declutter your kid’s toys and kitchenware. Try to spread out decluttering for each room or item on different days to get it done without getting overwhelmed. You may donate the items that are good and not required by you to someone in need.

You should also make some organizations specifically for Christmas needs and to make your house look tidy and more presentable when guests come to your house during Christmas. If you are expecting guests to stay during Christmas make sure to get your guest rooms clean and organized. A few days before Christmas you should declutter and organize your fridge to make space to store the meal preparations and Christmas special meals.

6: Christmas shopping

With Black Friday sales and many Christmas special sales. It is the best time to go shopping too. I sometimes don’t shop for certain things for the whole year and just wait for this holiday sale season to get the best deals. But it can be really overwhelming, to make things more manageable make a list of items to shop if there are some that you have to buy from a particular store mark it to easily identify. For others check deals online on Amazon or similar online shopping apps. Many brands run sales on their websites too, so if you are looking for a specific brand check their online store or get to their mailing list to get good deals.

Unless I am sure I may get a better deal shopping offline, I avoid going to stores as being a working mom I just get time on weekends. For items that are best bought from local stores or markets, I plan to visit them over weekends and not wait till the last minute to avoid the crowd and get the best deals. Before stepping out for shopping make a list of all the things that you need to buy it can be gifts, things for home, yourself, kids, or decor. Make a clear list and don’t leave anything to your memory.

7: Special Christmas menu and Christmas meal planning

Each holiday is special with unique food and a festive menu. So we want to make sure to make scrumptious meals for the family that will be enjoyed by all. Each family has traditions and preferences when it comes to Christmas meals. It is best to plan the Christmas Eve and other significant events menu in advance. If you want to try a new recipe it is best to try it a few weeks before Christmas so that Christmas meals are perfect. If you are planning to host a dinner or party keep in consideration the number of people you expect to proportionally make your recipes.

Make a grocery list based on meal planning and set a day for grocery shopping. For specific meat items make sure to book them well in advance. Do meal preparation to make cooking less overwhelming. You can always do baking a few days before and store in air-tight containers. By doing all the meal preparation together you will be able to save time.

8: Christmas Decor

Planning for Christmas decor is an exciting part of Christmas planning. One of the most awaited times to turn your home into a warm and vibrant space with light and Christmas ornament. Explore different Christmas decor ideas a few weeks in advance. Go to Pinterest to get some decor inspiration and find the best decor theme that you love. There are many ways to go about decorating your space for Christmas you can go for a vibrant fun-filled vibe, a vintage style decor, or a minimal and elegant decor. Once you select the theme choose a color pallet this will make decor selection easy and give a cohesive look to your decor. Make sure to get your right Christmas tree in advance. Go through your old decor items to pick those that match your Christmas decor this year, and check the lights are working. Try to plan the decor for all the space of the house.

Don’t limit decor only to your home, you can also spread Christmas vibes at work by decorating your cubicle, and if you work from home you should definitely decorate your work desk to motivate yourself to work. You can read my post 10 Christmas Desk Decor Ideas for Office for more.

9: Spiritual preparation for Christmas

Let’s not forget Christmas is not just for fun and food but also a significant time to reflect on yourself. It is an opportunity to delve deep into one’s beliefs, values, and spirituality. Ensure to make time and plan spiritual engagement for you and your family. It is a good time to realign our priorities, seek forgiveness, and practice gratitude.

Engage in prayer, and meditation to experience a sense of peace. This spiritual preparation allows us to fully embrace the true meaning of Christmas. Tell your kids stories about Christmas and the message of love, kindness, and compassion.

10: Make a last-day worklist

No matter how best you plan or how many days earlier you plan. You will have a few things to take care of till the last minute. These small little things can add to your stress and not let you relax and get in the holiday mood. It is best to make note of these last-minute things as a to-do list and where possible distribute the work among family members to get all involved and bond better as a family. Simple things like changing the dining mat to getting fresh flowers to bring a fresh ambiance to home can make you anxious. Making a last-minute work list can be very useful and let you be at ease.

Christmas planning and preparation timeline

To help you with Christmas planning here is a general timeline and things to do for Christmas. You can make changes based on your needs and the time you have for planning for Christmas.

2 Months Before Christmas (October):

• Set a Budget.
• Create a Guest List: If you’re hosting a Christmas gathering, make a list of guests and send out invitations if necessary.
• Make a gift list.

6 Weeks Before Christmas (Mid-November):

• Plan Your Decorations.
• Plan your Christmas menu.

4 Weeks Before Christmas (Early December):

• Start decorating your home for Christmas.
• If you send out holiday cards, order them or start making them.

3 Weeks Before Christmas (Mid-December):

• Make sure you have all your gifts purchased or ordered and wrapped.
• Check Entertainment: Plan entertainment or activities for guests if you’re hosting a gathering.

2 Weeks Before Christmas (Late December):

• Send out holiday cards.
• Create a detailed Grocery list for your Christmas meal and any other food items you’ll need.

1 Week Before Christmas (Week of December 18th):

• Grocery Shopping
• Add final touches to your decorations and ensure your home is cozy and festive.
• Start baking cookies, prep cakes, or other treats. store them well and freeze them if possible.

Christmas Eve (December 24th):

• Prep as much of the Christmas meal as possible in advance.
• Set the table and arrange any decorations for the meal.
• Take some time to relax and enjoy the holiday spirit with your loved ones.

Christmas Day (December 25th):

• Finish cooking and serving your Christmas meal. Enjoy the day with family and friends.
• If you haven’t already, exchange gifts and spend quality time together.

After Christmas:

• Send thank-you cards for any gifts you receive.
• Start taking down decorations and cleaning up.

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Conclusion:

So these are the tips that can help you be well-prepared for Christmas without having any last-minute hustle. Carefully planning for Christmas will help you get more done effectively, avoid overspending, and allow you to enjoy the festive time without stress. The timeline for Christmas planning shared will give you good ideas for Christmas preparation and stay organized. Don’t forget to get your Christmas planner.