Use A Christmas Planner To Prepare For The Festive Season

I LOVE Christmas! I’m even more excited this year as it’s my first Christmas in my house and so I get full control of everything festive!

While it’s great being able to choose which decor to have and what food to prepare, it means more planning ahead to make sure nothing is forgotten. That’s why I’m depending on my Christmas planner more than ever this year.

The planner featured in this post is available to buy from the Etsy shop here: christmas planner. However this post is made to give you ideas for your own Christmas planning and how your planner can help!

 

MAKE A MASTER TO-DO LIST

You knew it was coming. How would we cope without our to-do lists? The earlier you can start your Christmas list, the better. Let’s start now. Write down everything you can possibly think of that needs to be done before Christmas. Some ideas can be plan the Christmas Day menu, buy Christmas stamps and book pantomime tickets.

Once you’ve done this, prioritize your to-do list by the due date. This is where you need to consider what activities needs to be done in advance. You can write your Christmas cards as early as November but your food shop will need to wait until a few days before Christmas.

 

WORK OUT YOUR BUDGET

Before you can make your budget, you need to know what you’re going to spend your money on. Remember to consider expenses such as stamps, Christmas tree, stocking fillers, travel costs, etc.

Make sure you stick to your budget!  Use the expense tracker to record what you have purchased. The categories will give you a glance of where you’re spending your money so you can track where you need to cut down your spending or where you can afford to splash out a little bit more.

 

 

PLAN YOUR ADVENT ACTIVITIES

November and December are the busiest months of the year so I’ve included dated calendars in my festive planner for Christmas-related activities only.

Research festivities in your area that you’d like to attend such as visits to Santa, carol singing and the Christmas light switch on. Add these dates to your calendar as soon as you book so you know what dates you are available during the busy period.

 

PREPARE YOUR CHRISTMAS CARD LIST

You can never be too early when it comes to preparing your Christmas card list. Most retailers start to advertise their Christmas cards as early as September/October.

Take advantage of this! I like to buy my cards online from Moo.com . You can design your own Christmas cards or buy packs of 25 for cheap prices.

Make sure your address list is up to date and tick off your recipients as you post each card.

START GIFT SHOPPING EARLY

Ask your family/friends what they would like as early as possible. The sooner you have your list together, the sooner you can get started on the shopping. Do not leave your Christmas shopping until the second week of December! I think we’ve all been there and it’s stressful!

Will you be making gifts or buying them? If you’re going to create your gifts then remember you will need enough time to purchase your supplies and consider these costs in your budget.

Use the Christmas Gift Log to track your ideas, purchases and budget per person. Tick off your progress when your goodies are bought and wrapped.

 

RESEARCH YOUR RECIPES

Whatever festive feast you’re throwing this year, you need to prepare. Research your recipes early and circle the ones which you’d like to include on the big day. If you have time you could trial the recipes to see how they turn out.

If you prefer to stick to your Christmas traditions then consider what you can do ahead of time. You can start to make cookie and bread dough now and freeze it for December.

Depending on your recipes, you could also start to prepare your soups and appetizers a week before Christmas and freeze them. Pull them out a day before or simply re-heat on Christmas Day.

 

DON’T FORGET TO TREAT YOURSELF!

Remember that Christmas is for you to celebrate too! As much as we love to spoil our loved ones, it’s nice to indulge ourselves too! While you’re putting your gift list together for family and friends, use the the ‘Wish List’ to think about what you’d like to be treated to as well.

 

If you want a little extra help preparing for the holidays then I recommend reading: Get Yourself Organised for Christmas  (affiliate link). Each chapter focuses on a different element of Christmas and are broken down into easy and manageable tasks. There are lots of suggestions provided to make Christmas easy and fun!

 

I’ve added a Christmas Gift Log insert as a free printable this month so you can start to plan your Christmas shopping today! Available in A5, A4-Letter and Personal.

I’d love to see how your freebies work for you! Share the love by taking a pic of your monthly inserts and tag PaperScribblesCo on social media.

 

DOWNLOAD

 

Like the printable and want the full set? You can purchase the planner here!