10 Ways to Get a Head Start on the Holiday Season

If you’re currently enjoying warm weather and outdoor events, Christmas and the winter holiday season may be the last things on your mind.

11:54 12 May 2021

But come December, you’re likely in store for a whirlwind of obligations and responsibilities that pushes your life into chaos until the new year. That is, unless you start preparing well in advance.

 

If you can get a head start on the holiday season, you’ll be much better prepared to tackle your biggest upcoming priorities.

 

How Early Is Too Early?

 

Is there such a thing as starting the holiday season too early? If you’re decorating the entirety of your house to fall in line with Christmas or other holiday themes in March, you’re probably going to raise some eyebrows – but there’s nothing specifically wrong with it. And if you’re just taking care of some basic tasks, like cleaning the house and keeping an eye out for potential gift ideas, most people won’t even notice that you’re prepping for the holiday season.

 

Because of this, there’s no such thing as preparing “too early” for the holiday season. That said, if you’re the type of person who gets excited about holiday shopping and festivities, you might be disappointed if you’re completely done with your prep work before December even arrives; you may want to pace yourself.

 

Preparing for the Holidays

 

These are some of the best ways to start preparing for the holidays – even if it’s in the middle of spring:

 

1.       Look for discounts. Discounts are offered all year long for a variety of holidays and other excuses. You might find that one of your favorite local businesses is having a “going out of business” sale that offers slashed prices, or you might have the opportunity to take advantage of a blowout summer sale. When shopping for presents for loved ones, there are buying opportunities throughout the year. This is also a great time to look for decorations and other Christmas-related items, since they might be deeply discounted in the pre-holiday season.
   
   
2.       Organize your decorations. Decorating for Christmas is fun for many people, but it’s a chore to others. One of the differentiating factors is how convenient and accessible your decorations are; if your decorations are all piled together in a cluttered mess, it’s going to be a pain to deal with. Take the time in the spring or summer to take inventory of everything you have, get rid of what you no longer want, and sort and store your remaining items in a sensible way.
   
   
3.       Declutter and adopt minimalism. While you’re at it, consider decluttering the whole house. When it’s time to decorate for Christmas, you’ll need to reorganize the house at least slightly to accommodate new decorations (and potentially guests). It will be much easier if you’ve already gone through the process of getting rid of things you don’t need.
   
   
4.       Start brainstorming gift ideas. If you’re the type of person who typically starts Christmas shopping on December 23, you likely have trouble buying things for the people you love. Start brainstorming ideas now, paying attention to what your loved ones like and don’t like – and their latest interests.
   
   
5.       Set dates for parties and events. It’s never too early to start scheduling (if you want to maximize turnout). If you want to host a Christmas party, set a date now and have people “save the date.”
   
   
6.       Get a Christmas card photo. Want to send out a Christmas card with a photo of your family? Now is a great time to snap a cute family photo.
   
   
7.       Start your craft projects. If you love to make your own decorations, cards, or other holiday craft projects, you already know that the time crunch can make it way too stressful. Start your work early to buy yourself more time.
   
   
8.       Put a savings plan in place. The holidays can be financially strenuous for many people, so put a savings plan in place now. How much will you need to buy the gifts you want and what will it take to get there?
   
   
9.       Wrap presents as you go. As you buy presents for your friends and loved ones, wrap them immediately. It will preserve the surprise and save you some work later on in the season.
   
   
10.   Do a deep clean. Give the house a deep clean now, while you have time. That way, smaller, less intensive cleanings will be all that’s necessary to keep it in good shape.

 

Even if you only follow a few of the points on this list a few months in advance of the holiday season, you’ll be much better prepared for the hectic days to come. Give it a try this year and see how much easier your yuletide life becomes.