The Best Christmas To-Do List to Get You Started With Holiday Preparations
A smart strategy for avoiding stress and turmoil during the holiday frenzy in December is to start your Christmas preparations early. It might be challenging to choose precisely when to begin your preparations and in what order to take care of the chores.
Utilize our comprehensive and competent Christmas to-do list to prepare ahead and enjoy the most planned Christmas this year!
Contents:
- A Christmas To-Do List is The Best Way to Prepare for the Holidays
- Getting Ready For Christmas 2022 — The Ultimate To-Do List
- Checklist for the Items to Prepare and Buy for Xmas
- Tips and Life Hacks for Christmas Preparation
A Christmas To-Do List is The Best Way to Prepare for the Holidays
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If you’re getting anxious about your Christmas plans, spare a few minutes to browse through our advice on handling such stress, and we’ll get you back on track.
It can be challenging to even consider detailed Christmas prep due to work and family commitments that don’t observe holidays, but our Christmas planning checklist makes it easy and enjoyable!
Considering how busy this time of the year can become for many people, it is natural that you may forget essential preparations amid all the Christmas shopping and parties. A Christmas planning checklist can help you keep track of everything you need to do, from buying food and gifts to stocking your home with extra supplies for guests.
A checklist can also be a helpful tool for planning your Christmas budget. By breaking down your Christmas preparations into a list of tasks, you can more easily see where you might need to cut back or make adjustments. Ultimately, a Christmas checklist can help you enjoy a more stress-free holiday season.
What is the Best Time to Start Preparing for Christmas?
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Since Christmas always falls on the same day, we shouldn’t be shocked when it comes around the following year, right? However, every year at the beginning of December, we frequently hear people complaining that they can’t finish everything, that they’re too tied up in other activities, that other things are being delayed, and other such problems.
The solution should be straightforward, right? So, it makes sense to start planning and preparing and get ready for Christmas as soon as possible. It can be the most remarkable approach to ensure that you will indeed have the energy and passion for enjoying Christmas by being organized well in advance for the holidays.
Utilize our practical and tried Christmas to-do list as your countdown to Christmas for the critical things you must complete this year to prepare for the holidays.
Now, if the thought of beginning your Christmas planning at the beginning of October freaks you out, don’t panic! We advise you to begin planning for Christmas as early as October to enjoy the enchanted atmosphere of the holiday festivities at the onset of December.
Moreover, it would be best if you had more motivation to start being serious about your Christmas planning. In that case, we can assure you that you’ll save money. Given that the current economic climate in 2022 is challenging for many, it also makes sense to plan ahead for Christmas to avoid last-minute panic buying at exorbitant rates or purchasing items you don’t actually need.
Getting Ready For Christmas 2022 — The Ultimate To-Do List
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Christmas is a time for family, friends, and celebrating. But it can also be a time of stress, particularly regarding preparations. Christmas decorations, holiday baking, Christmas cards, invitations, Hotel reservations, and Christmas shopping can add to a lot of work.
Our to-do list breaks down the essential steps on how to prepare for Christmas in a monthly format in the run-up to Christmas because, as we mentioned earlier, it is wise to start your preparations well in advance.
Even if time is already running out and you missed a month or two of preparation, still look through the recommendations—you now have a chance to make these preparations in accelerated mode!
Preparations for the Month of October
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The best time to decide the location where you and your family will actually spend the Christmas holidays is in October.
Are you going to host Christmas or Boxing Day at your house? Who will be coming if you plan to host Christmas for your family members? Will you be hosting overnight visitors? What should you do to prepare your home for them?
The optimum time to choose your total Christmas budget is at the beginning of the planning process for Christmas. Think about the price of hosting Christmas, the people you need to buy presents for, and whether you need to buy holiday decorations.
And finally, you may make an Excel file or Google sheet for maintaining your Christmas checklist and utilize separate tabs set up for Christmas food, gifts, decorations, and Christmas cards.
Things to Prepare in November
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You can do two things to get your Christmas cards sent in time for December—buy them early and use stamps.
The first game changer is getting stamped envelopes instead of waiting around at post offices with other people who may not need or want their personalized stationery either way! The second thing? Buying postal service products online so that there’s no longer any need to stand outside an actual post office and wait for your turn.
Also, it’s a good idea to send International gifts by mail: once you’ve finished shopping, send any gifts to family, friends, and colleagues who reside abroad via mail because such gifts and cards could take a while to arrive.
Black Friday Sales
This year, Black Friday will fall on November 25. There will be lots of deals for you to grab.
But don’t be tempted to spend money on something you don’t need simply because it’s inexpensive. Instead, research beforehand to find out where the best offers exist or the items you need for your Christmas.
Stir-Up Sunday
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Additionally, Stir Up Sunday happens in November, and if you’re one of the traditionalists who enjoy baking your own cakes, this is the perfect opportunity.
Online resources offer tons of delectable recipes, from homemade mince pies, cherry brandy Christmas cakes, Gingerbread, and Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecakes. Make your desserts and Christmas cake on Stir-Up Sunday for an extra special treat! Of course, you could always bake it in quantity and freeze some of it.
On this day, get the kids to write their Xmas letters to Santa or create lists of gifts they want. It’s also perfect if you need some last-minute shopping done before Xmas arrives.
This gives the procedure a little ceremony and ensures you are prepared to do all your main Christmas gift-buying by November’s end.
Preparations Steps for December
Early in December is a good time to finalize your Christmas food list that you need to buy. You should also make sure you stock up on sufficient food storage, aluminum foil, and plastic wrap because there will definitely be leftovers you cannot avoid.
Additionally, stock up on items like batteries and matches or do yourself a huge favor and purchase an electric lighter for all those candles.
Checklist for the Items to Prepare and Buy for Xmas
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The following items on our Christmas to-do list are as essential as the necessary pre-Christmas preparations and include all the things to get for Christmas, food to prepare, and finishing touches.
- Start addressing holiday cards: Depending on how extensive your list is, it can take some time.
- Postcards: If you’re too busy in the first week of December to address and post them, think about delaying them until the end of the holiday rush. People generally prefer receiving the Christmas card some days later, when life has settled down, and they are more likely to see the mail.
- Wrap the gifts: Wrap presents as you purchase them to save time on Christmas Eve and to prevent curious children from discovering what Santa is bringing.
- Send gifts through mail: Do it all before December 10. Try to mail out any gifts before that date too.
- Analyze your decorations: Bring out your holiday lights, wreaths, and lawn decorations. Check to see if you need to make any replacements if it is broken. Is an update necessary?
- Buy a real Christmas tree: If you want your tree to stay fresh and keep its needles through Christmas, now is a wonderful time to purchase one. The same is true for garlands or newly cut greenery.
- Decorate: You might be the type to start decking the halls immediately, right after the corpse of the Thanksgiving turkey has been dumped. That’s okay, too, but it’s time to decorate the house for the holidays by the first week of December.
- Get the cutlery ready: Count the cups and dishes you’ll need for those special dinners with a huge group of friends or family members, and make sure you have them handy. If not, give yourself enough time to go out and get more if necessary.
- Confirm and complete the menus: Make sure you are prepared to serve the holiday meal and know what your family will bring. Create a master shopping list.
- Order the turkey (or ham) for the Xmas Dinner: You want to be prepared for the main course of your holiday feast or anything else.
- Purchase nonperishable goods: Purchase alcohol and any necessary canned food and drinks or pantry essentials.
- Purchase fresh ingredients: Go to the store to pick up any last-minute fruit or veggies you need for your dinners.
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- Deep-clean your home: If the kitchen is tidy and the floors are spotless, you’ll enjoy those decorations much more. One crucial job is to empty your refrigerator. Throw away old leftovers to make room for large meals and ingredients that will accumulate as the celebration draws nearer.
- Purchase batteries for kids’ toys: To keep the little ones happy and at bay, ensure you have all the accessories required for that handheld video game or remote-controlled car if you didn’t stock up over Christmas shopping.
- Set up the table: So, you only use those gold-trimmed champagne flutes once a year, right? Embrace them! Prepare the table now. Stick a sticky note with the name of the meal you intend to serve on each tray to simplify things on the big day. (These notes will also enable people to assist you without having to ask 12 times.)
- Prepare food: The moment has come to prepare the main meals and cook everything that will remain fresh and healthy for a few days. You may have previously stored certain items in the freezer.
- Buy fresh flowers: They should always be bought two days in advance, whether for a party or a family supper. Flowers still have time to bloom and will be rich and fragrant when they do.
- Complete last-minute gift wrapping: Along with wrapping, put together toys that will be gifts from Santa.
- Get done with the cooking and schedule for the following day: Decide the time for the feast, then start counting backward to figure out when to roast the turkey (or ham) or cook the roast beef, among other preparations.
Once you’ve taken care of all the items on the Christmas to-do list, you can sit back and relax. Enjoy your family and friends, and relish the traditions you share!
Tips and Life Hacks for Christmas Preparation
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The hustle and bustles of Christmas can be hectic. However, the best way to make the lead-up to Christmas run smoothly is with our great tips. We know how expensive it can be getting ready for guests, cooking that feast, and preparing your home—so we’ve put together some money-saving ideas on what you should do in order not only to save time but also to cut costs!
Best Xmas Tips
Always browse in Incognito Mode when shopping online
For two fundamental reasons, browsing the Web in Incognito Mode is a Christmas must. First, it prevents online businesses from knowing what you’ve already looked at online and raising rates on your subsequent visit. The second benefit is that it keeps your recently searched and viewed products from appearing as advertisements, which could ruin the surprise in case a family member asks to use your laptop!
Get the benefit of safe payments using PayPal
If something goes wrong while you are making a purchase, PayPal Buyer Protection will take care of the entire cost of your transaction, allowing you to receive a refund.
Avoid high postage and delivery fees
If you can help it, try to avoid paying expensive shipping fees when buying gifts on a tight budget. Plan which items you can buy from the same merchant while commencing your Christmas shopping earlier to save money by choosing more extended delivery choices. You can reach the necessary spending threshold to avoid altogether paying a delivery cost by purchasing multiple gifts from the same retailer.
Create a gift that grows in value
Personalized gifts, including first-edition books, license plates, fan memorabilia, collectibles, watches, and coins, are excellent examples of gifts that get better with age because their value rises.
Organize your fridge before and after Xmas
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Ensuring order and hygiene in your refrigerator might help you waste less food since if you store stuff at the back, you’re more likely to forget about it until it expires. Foods that don’t require cooking should go on the top shelf, followed by dairy products, raw meat, and fish on the bottom shelf. Fruit, salads, and vegetables are kept in drawers.
Request assistance to avoid hosting stress
Hosting Christmas day can put a lot of stress on most of us, so ask your guests to bring aperitif appetizers, Christmas crackers, or anything else you might need to cross a few tasks off your to-do list and save money! Please ask them in advance and be explicit about your needs!
Try your best to reduce food waste
Compared to other times of the year, Christmas sees the most food waste. However, you may refrain from throwing perfectly fine food in the trash because everyone is too full to consume it by utilizing a portion planner or guide to determine exactly how much food you need to prepare for each meal.
Re-use and repurpose your Xmas leftovers
The anticipation of leftovers rivals that of Christmas dinner itself! Ensure your fridge has enough room to hold your harvest and that your freezer is defrosted. You may also refer to one of the online guides for safely storing leftovers.
Make a generous donation to a good cause
Christmas is a season of giving. There are many ways to accomplish that, including volunteering your time at a food bank in your community or even donating to someone else’s honor.
Money Saving Hacks
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Christmas may be financially stressful, so we’re here to ease your burden and provide you with some simple money-saving tips. Here are some money-saving tips we advise using so you can save up more cash for the holidays!
- Set up a bank account for savings and give it the title “Christmas.” This will help you spread the various Christmas costs throughout the year. Instead of viewing December as an “expensive month,” plan ahead so that it won’t be as burdensome on your finances. Additionally, you’ll be less likely to withdraw funds from savings if you know they will be used for a specific purpose rather than just a “rainy day” fund.
- Deposit the money you get left over because of canceled plans into a savings bank account for Christmas. Put the money saved on any night or day due to a canceled plan into your Christmas savings account. This way, the dinner, lunch, coffee, or beer you skipped goes toward your Christmas money. In addition, such savings will reassure you that you’re also making extra money!
- Always make an effort to purchase something when they aren’t in high demand. Businesses are aware that consumers will pay more for trendy items, whether those trends are seasonal or simply a current obsession. You can save money by preventing price hikes by foreseeing spikes in demand and avoiding them! There is no need for sales to force out the products if there is high demand. For example, consider the price of gloves and caps in the winter and t-shirts and jumpers in the summer.
- Keep in mind that higher prices always result from higher demand. So, change your accounts and service providers to earn discounts or prizes in November and December. Switching your bank accounts, insurance, TV, phones, broadband, credit cards, and other services can help you save a ton of money. You may even get paid for nothing, as most companies offer an incentive for switching to their service. This is a fantastic example of how making a small effort may pay off over time.
- Do some research on the local cashback schemes and grab them! Cashback websites give users a cut of the commissions earned through their affiliate links; it may not seem like much, but if you’re Santa for three kids this year, it adds up quickly! Cashback incentive programs on your bank account or credit cards may also exist, but they frequently go underused because only some people know how and why to utilize them. As a result, you may be passing up free money!
Happy Holidays!
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This Christmas countdown checklist will ensure that you’re keeping in mind all everything you need to make your holiday season successful and full of fun, whether you’re hosting a small Christmas gathering or a sizable party.
The months will pass as quickly as possible if you keep organized and follow this list, even though the end of the year and a big Christmas preparation plan can make you feel pressured and hectic. The most crucial aspect of getting ready for Christmas is to have fun with your celebrations and cherish the company of family and friends!
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