Happy Friday everyone! I am extra excited for the next two weekends in October. There are such some really fun Fall activities happening before October wraps up.
Even though I am still really enjoying Fall, there is something that is in the back of my mind, Christmas!
Yes, I love Christmas but I did find it a little stressful last year. I kind of kept the majority of my planning till right at the end. I kept saying, "there's lots of time". But right when I was ready to dive into the decorating, shopping and cooking...Sam went through some growth spurts and no body was getting any sleep.
I remember feeling very overwhelmed last year as I tried to make everything like it use to be pre-Sam days. Things last year just took a little longer with a grumpy baby and tired Mama! But I managed to get it all done and we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas together. But the problem with being so busy during that Holiday time? It's hard to sit back and enjoy that time. It feels as though it goes quicker when there is a blur of things to get done. That is why I promised myself that next year would be different!
It all started when I was seeing friends post on Facebook about how many months till Christmas. On August 25, just a few months till Christmas and I wanted to start right then! So I did.
The first thing I did was open up an empty word document and write down a list of everyone there is to shop for and any ideas if I had any. This included EVERYONE! Tucker, Sam, Ryan, extended friends and family and I even had a section for potlucks and donations.
The next thing I did was set a budget. Ryan and I sat down and discussed what we wanted to spend this year. This was a grand total that would included stocking stuffers! Once we had that number finalized it was time to break it down into how much to designate for each person on our "to shop for" list. This makes it A LOT easier to get ideas rolling so that we make sure what we want to purchase is within the allotted budget. When we would think of something for a certain person that met the budget, I would jot it down beside their name in the spreadsheet.
Have you ever noticed that when you scramble to buy a last minute gift(s) for someone before Christmas you usually spend more? You are desperately wandering around wondering what to get someone and settle on something you weren't sure of that may be outside your budget. Pre-planning for each person takes the guess work out of it!
We had our list done around the end of September and then it was time to get to work! Some of the items are homemade and we've been slowly working on those when we have time.
But then there are some things that aren't homemade. And those items have to be purchased. We decided this year rather than going on one giant "Christmas shopping" trip, we would buy 1-2 gifts a week. It has been going really well and we have successfully gotten lot's of items crossed off the list! There will be no panic buying this year! I can stay at home and leisurely wrap in front of the TV watching a cheesy Christmas movie while everyone else fights the crowds!
Have you started preparing for Christmas yet?
xo
I have a few things bought and a couple people done too :D I usually aim to have it all done by the end of November.
ReplyDeleteI have ideas but nothing bought....whomp whomp whomp...but then again, I have no where to hide things...although this weekend I am planning on de-cluttering, and doing a deep thorough clean through the house this weekend so maybe I will find room ;)
ReplyDeleteNothing bought yet, and real ideas yet either, but I've got November in my sites as "Christmas Shopping" month. Last year I was so busy getting ready for the House Tour that I had to do all my shopping in Dec, and I HATED that. But I'll get Halloween over with (and hopefully have the CC paid off) before I start making concrete lists and plans. Already excited!
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