If I’ve talked about it once I’ve talked about it a thousand times – the key to enjoying December is to get organised for Christmas early. I have been a mum for eighteen years, and it didn’t take me long to realise that I was unlikely to EVER have a merry little Christmas again if I didn’t have a system. I’m sure that’s not very Hallmark (well, likely I would be writing my lists while clumsily bumping into strangers left right and centre until a plot twist put me in the path of a charming, relaxed gentleman with a dashing smile who would irritate me at first before he taught me that true happiness would come from going with the flow then I would realise he is the greatest thing since sliced bread) but as mums we not only bring the magic for everyone else, but should create a little for ourselves, too!
So here it is, my comprehensive guide on how to get organised for Christmas… with bells on it. Jingle bells.
A November well spent brings a December of content.
I can’t stress this enough – giving yourself a busy November will set you up to actually enjoy the festive season as you watch the fruits of your labours unfold. Be your future self’s best friend and get organised for Christmas well and truly in advance.
Book Santa early.
If a visit to see Father Christmas is something your family does, it’s worth booking as soon as possible. Take it from someone who learned this lesson the hard way and ended up with very disgruntled kids – these things book up fast nowadays. Most places book online and allow you to sign up to receive an email when their booking system opens.
Invest in a Christmas Planner.
Now, you can just use a notepad or the notes app on your phone (or there’s various apps, I’ve been recommended Trello) Pretty stationary with useful features really keeps me motivated to get organised for Christmas, and writing things by hand seems to help me remember.
Book an online food shop.
It’s a charming image, snow outside and entering the store on Christmas Eve, all flushed cheeks and woollens, to pick up ingredients to rustle up a delicious feast for your family – but the reality will likely be that you all sit down to split a ‘Serves 1’ microwave dinner. Supermarkets usually have a banner on their homepage announcing what date they will be taking Christmas food shop orders from so you can prebook (after all they want you to shop with them!) so make a note of it in your phone or your trusty Christmas Planner. It’s also worth signing up to supermarket reward schemes and saving the points/coupons throughout the year to use for the festive shop.
Order your Turkey.
We buy ours from Riverford Organic Farms – I do like to buy meat ethically even if it costs a little more.
Have a toy declutter.
I am not a minimalist by any means, but I do struggle to think clearly or enjoy my home when it’s a cluttered mess. Admittedly I have one child who will not part with a single thing and has me smuggling out broken crayons and half stickers like a drug lord in the dead of night, but usually they never notice that anything’s missing and rediscover lost treasures in the lead up to Christmas. They will inevitably be gifted new ones and enjoy finding a place for them in their bedrooms.
Brain dump.
I find I can get quite overwhelmed in the lead up to Christmas (I have five children – that’s a lot of magic riding on my shoulders) so lists are my friend. Instead of thinking something is too small to bother writing down, I have a page usually covered in scribbles and thoughts indecipherable to anyone but me – but writing it down helped me fall asleep that night.
If you shop small, shop early.
Small businesses usually have a longer lead time, especially for handmade and personalised items. It’s worth making a note of when their Christmas collections are due to be released (usually found on their social pages, instagram and TikTok are the home of small businesses) and ordering then.
Set a budget.
I can’t stress this enough: Christmas is not worth going into debt for. By all means splurge where you can afford or want to, but all of these websites offering Buy Now Pay Later options do not care if you’re pulling your hair out over credit card statements in a few months. Gifts are a lovely way to show someone that you know what they like and want to treat them, but the price tag is not the gesture.
Homemade is giving time, love and effort.
I love Christmas shopping for my loved ones (and have very much enjoyed many a Prime purchase) but there’s something so wonderful about receiving something homemade, isn’t there? Obviously we’re not talking a Chandler Bing mixtape, but if you plan to bake biscuits, put together a hamper or create something – I highly recommend allowing yourself time and getting inspired by Pinterest when getting organised for Christmas.
Plan your wrapping.
Now, if you like to be hyper-efficient, wrap your gifts as you buy them or as they’re delivered to your doorstep. I don’t do this… when I get organised for Christmas, I like to sit down for an evening with a glass of something cold (Bucks Fizz) or hot (homemade hot chocolate, of course) putting on my favourite festive film (The Family Stone, have a box of tissues at the ready) and wrapping everything with a crackling fire in the grate. Pick your poison and make it a – strangely competitive – date night.
Get Advent ready.
It depends on how you do it in your household, but we’ve got some advent traditions that require planning! We need to buy chocolate for the draws of our children’s wooden advent boxes, we do a Book Advent (I’ll link an article with a thorough how-to guide because it really brings us joy) and we put together an Activity Advent (again, here’s a guide because it’s really allowed us to spend time as a family rather than Decembers rushing by in a blur) All of that involves a couple of dedicated evenings in November, but it’s definitely worth it.
Check Yo-Elf
We don’t actually do Elf on The Shelf, but I’m on Instagram and therefore aware that I’m one of the few people not being tortured by a mischievous elf every December… so he deserves a token mention. If you plan to do it this year, it’s worth dedicating a Pinterest board to his potential shenanigans or making a list of ideas.
Check everything works
The tree stand, the fairy lights, the oven… check them, double check them!
Write Down What You Buy… When You Buy It
A friend of mine (not me… honest…) approached one Christmas with a very laid-back approach. She was pregnant, and decided to relax and just buy gifts for her children as and when she saw something she knew they would like. This resulted in one child having almost nothing under the tree on Christmas Eve, a horrified expression exchanged with her husband, and a manic dash to the shops. She will NOT be making that mistake again.
We have always tried to find a healthy approach to gift giving with our children. We really don’t want to raise Dudley Dursleys with a present room, so we go with:
‘Something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read.’
Stocking Presents
Given the secretive nature of such a mission, I recommend buying and wrapping these as soon as possible. Once that’s done, pop them in a box and put them in an obscure location as high up in your house as possible (I’m dedicated to protecting the belief… just don’t forget where you hid them. Again, I speak from experience) If you need a little inspiration, I’ll link a list of ideas here – and don’t forget to wrap them in different paper to all the other gifts and get rid of all the evidence to protect the magic!
Recipe Research
I like to have a mix of old favourites and new treats each year, and really enjoy the research. My recipe books become a sea of post its when I start to get ready for Christmas, and my Pinterest becomes gloriously sparkly. My favourite discovery to date was Nigella’s Christmas Rocky Road Mountain which I’ve linked because it’s requested the moment we turn the calendar page in the kitchen! A pastry Nutella Christmas Tree has also become our traditional Christmas Tree Breakfast, and they’re brilliant.
I have a few Holy Grail recipe books that are very well loved this time of year, including Nigella’s Christmas, 100 Cookies (for our annual cookie box – which I recommend you start listing & baking for a month in advance if you have a big family because it’s a mammoth task, though my favourite personal project for the holiday season and always a crowd pleaser!)
There’s a Harry Potter Christmas cookbook out this year and I preordered it with fingers shaking from excitement..
Put Together Christmas Eve Boxes
These are a little extra but a lovely tradition – we actually call them December Boxes in our family because we give them to the children on 1st December. It gets everyone into the festive spirit and giving them at the beginning of the month means everything gets plenty! The bones of the boxes tend to be Christmas Pyjamas, a mug and chocolate, then anything else you want to throw in. I’ll link a How-To guide to putting them together. Ours are from Bear & Rue.
Leave a Reply