Christmas is coming! Most of us get to the start of December and are already feeling overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done before and during the holidays. You just want to celebrate Christmas but end up more frazzled than festive. The holiday season doesn’t have to be all about crowds, shopping and chaos. Here are some organisational skills to help you get through Christmas without losing your mind.
- Start with lower expectations of what Christmas should be like. Forget the way Christmas is presented in magazines, on TV, or Instagram. Aim for fun and enjoyable instead of stressing yourself trying out to create the ‘perfect’ Christmas.
- Put every activity coming up into your diary or calendar. This includes school and work functions, community carols, local festivities, social events, and concert community events for kids. This time of year gets busy so a calendar helps you plan what you can attend, where you need to be at what time, and prevents double booking.
- Make a list of what you need to do between now and Christmas. Break it down into manageable tasks, each with a start and end date. This helps you to plan things like sending cards overseas in time, Elf on the Shelf antics, when to put up the tree, Santa photos for kids/pets/family, Christmas baking, buying and wrapping gifts, preparing for visitors. Then you’re not rushing around at the last minute.
- If you’re hosting a meal for Christmas, create your menu and schedule for the day well in advance. Collect ingredients you will need and set aside in your pantry or cupboard. If you’re trying a new dish, have a practice run before the day. If there are meals you can prepare and freeze to reheat, go ahead!
- Make a gift list and if you’re really busy, buy online. If you have gifts delivered to work or when you’re home, you can wrap gifts quickly and tick them off the list. This stops little eyes prying and saves you from having to do it last minute. Make sure you keep a note of where you hide gifts in your house so you don’t forget!
- Say no when it gets too much. There is always a lot of pressure to be involved at this time of year, whether that’s organising the Christmas work lunch, school end of year carols, or acquaintances suddenly missing you and wanting to go out for catch up drinks. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t feel guilty about saying no to things you can’t do, don’t fill you with joy or is unreasonable.
- Make sure you keep time in lieu for yourself to recharge. If you have sorted a weekly planner then this shouldn’t be hard but it’s important to check in every so often and give yourself a break. If your brain is going a million miles an hour thinking about what has to be done, what hasn’t been done etc, then you’re likely to forget something. And frankly, you won’t enjoy Christmas if you’re exhausted by the time it arrives.
- Christmas often calls us to do some serious clearing and cleaning. Make some space for new toys – encourage your children to move along one or two toys each weekend. If you’re having guests during the festive season, don’t find yourself clearing up the spare room the night before they arrive. Spend 20 minutes each day getting it ready. Check you have all the wineglasses and cutlery you need if you’re hosting lunch so you’re not running around the shops on Christmas Eve.
- Charge batteries in your camera so you don’t miss out on capturing those special moments when children are opening presents or family are celebrating. And make sure you have plenty of charged batteries for toys.
- Stock up on essentials in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Online shopping and home delivery for groceries, plus frozen meals ready for busy nights are a lifesaver and free you up to stay on top of your Christmas to do list.