Are you ready? There’s only 17 more days until Thanksgiving and 49 days until Christmas!! Don’t panic! Here are some ways that you can prepare yourself so that you are ready and not stressed for the holidays.
Are you hosting or traveling? If people are coming to the house this year, figure out if you need anything. Will you need tables and chairs? Do you have enough serving plates/dishes? How many people will be coming? If you are traveling – think now of how much it will cost to get there. Make those hotel reservations if you need them. Start thinking about luggage and toiletries that you will need. Write down anything that you need and start picking it up now at the store. Think about outfits that you want to wear – holiday dresses are out now for kids and most are on sale. Buy them now before they are out of stock!
Plan Your Menu – If you are having people at the house – what will you serve? Are they bringing anything? Does anyone have any allergies (gluten, peanut)? What will you serve for appetizers, the main meal and dessert? What kind of drinks do you want to have on hand? Once the list of the meal is made, break it down to what the ingredients are that you need. Start buying stuff now at the store – each time you go, pick up several items (like brown sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon, pecans, cans of sweet potatoes, soda etc). I got these free printables to help plan out my meal because I am hosting Thanksgiving this year. I printed out recipes that I want to use, and started listing out ingredients and things I need to buy. These printables are for personal use only, from Household Management 101.
Start any cleaning or projects in your house now – List out the things you want to do/have done prior to company coming. If you plan on hiring a cleaning service, call and make the appointment now before they get all booked up. For me, I love getting my rugs professionally cleaned this time of year, so I call Stanley Steamer and make an appointment for them to come a couple of days before Thanksgiving.
Think of Gift Ideas Now – Whether or not you are a black Friday shopper, the deals are coming! Think of things that you want to get friends, family, neighbors or teachers and plan accordingly. Sit down and write a list and keep it with you. When you are out and see a good deal, check out your list to see if it would apply to anyone you need to buy a gift for. Bath and Body Works has coupons now for free items plus a percentage off, So I always head there to pick up a few things to have on hand. Hand sanitizers make great stocking stuffers, and I love to give the candles, body washes and lotions as gifts.
Plan Your Christmas Card – Beat the rush to get it done and order them now. My husband and I took some really cute pictures of the kids one day at the pumpkin patch and I decided those are going to be the photos that I use for my Christmas Card. On to Walmart I went, and $14 later, my Christmas cards are purchased and will be shipped to my home next week. It’s done – I don’t have to worry about it and it was a really cute design and super affordable. I went to other sites that wanted close to $40 – no way. Why spend that kind of money when I can get the same thing for less?
Breathe – This time of year has everyone running around and going crazy. Don’t forget to enjoy it. With enough planning, you won’t need to rush around and can actually sit back, relax and enjoy your family.
What are your tips for getting holiday ready? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
