If you’re like me, the holidays are your favorite time of the year. From the smell of apple cider to the feeling of your cold, flushed nose… Everything about the season takes you back to a special place in your heart. And now, you want the 2020 holiday season to be over-the-top and memorable. You have been looking forward to it all year long and you’re ready to deck the halls and fill your heart with joy! You may have even got a head start on your Christmas planning so you can save time and avoid stress.
But when it comes to planning for Christmas, there are a few mistakes to avoid. After reading this post, you will know exactly what you should and shouldn’t do when you’re getting ready for the most wonderful time of the year. So let’s get right into it!
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thinking you have plenty of time to plan for Christmas
It might seem like you have plenty of time to plan for Christmas, but that’s not true at all!
To begin with, in 2020, there are only 29 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas… That’s not even a month!
So you have 29 days to decorate, string lights outside, plan gift ideas, shop for gifts, and wrap those gifts. Then there’s baking, cooking, cleaning for the holidays, and hiding the elf. Don’t forget about Christmas carols, watching all the classic 90’s Christmas movies, visiting local tree farms and festivals, and seeing all the light displays around town. On top of teaching your kids about the true meaning of Christmas and preparing your heart for what truly matters.
Whew, that’s a lot!
So how the heck are you supposed to get to all of that in only 29 days? Well, you can’t! It’s just not possible. Unless you get a head start and get the important holiday tasks out of the way in the fall. Then, you’ll have more time for the fun stuff in December!
And on another note, we all know how fast time flies. 💨
It’s like the older you get and the more kids you have, the faster time seems to go.
So even if it seems like you have enough time to plan for Christmas, know that it’s gonna sneak up on you like it does every. single. year. One minute, you’re getting ready for Halloween. And the next, it’s Black Friday and you’re feeling panicky because you don’t have any gift ideas planned.
In short, don’t make the mistake of assuming you have plenty of time! Considering everything else that you need to do with work, family, and life in general, you really don’t have enough time at all.
Psst… this free Christmas planner will help you get a head start on your holiday budget and your gift lists!
Just enter your name and email below. 👇
not following through on your Christmas plans
You can spend weeks planning for the holidays, but if you don’t go back and actually reference what you planned, it won’t make a bit of difference. And what’s the point in planning for the holidays if it’s not going to help you?
In order to make sure you reference your plans throughout the season, try setting a few alarms on your phone.
Starting in September, I have a recurring alarm on my phone that goes off every Sunday afternoon.
It reminds me to check my holiday planner.
But I don’t just look at my planner. I check my holiday to-do list, holiday bucket list, and my calendar. I decide what we’re going to focus on in the upcoming week and then I add everything to my regular planner.
And then, I add everything to our shared family calendar on Cozi. Using the free Cozi app during the holidays makes it super easy to keep your family up-to-date!
trying to fit too much in
I’m super guilty of over-planning… Especially during the holidays. I want to find time to do it all and then some. So I really try my best to fit it all in.
Last year, I counted all of the major outings I wanted us to do as a family… There were 8 in total! That meant we would have had to schedule at least one activity each weekend for all of November AND December! And the thing is, they weren’t really all that elaborate. They were just basic festive outings like visiting Santa, seeing the Nutcracker, going ice skating, watching the local Christmas parade, and seeing lights around town. Inevitably, we decided to cut a few things from our schedule so we could simplify the holidays in general. But if I had waited until November to start my Christmas planning, we wouldn’t have had time to do anything.
I’m probably not the only one who wants to fit everything in during the most wonderful time of the year! If you’re also guilty of trying to do it all, planning in advance will help you see the big picture.
When you plan in advance, you’ll have an over-arching view of each week leading up to Christmas. So if you’ve tried to fit too much in one week, you can easily move things around on your monthly calendars.
final thoughts
Now that you know what not to do, let’s go over a quick recap of what you should do when it comes to Christmas planning.
- Recognize that you do not have plenty of time to plan for the holidays. The truth is, it’s never too early to start preparing… The earlier you start, the more time you’ll save come December.
- Follow through on your Christmas plans. You can do this once a week as I do, or you can do it a few times a month. Keeping a master holiday to-do list organized by month will help you stack on track.
- Create a holiday bucket list so you can have a big-picture view of everything you want to do during the last few months of the year.
Society encourages us to put off Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but you don’t have to start decorating in November. A little Christmas planning will go a long way towards helping you create a memorable and relaxing holiday season.
If you want to avoid these Christmas planning mistakes, sign up below for the free holiday planner, and start planning now! 👇
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