Preparing for Christmas

Today is October 28, and Christmas is in two short months, whether you're ready or not!  As much as I sometimes deplore the Christmas music in November and other signs of rushing into the season, at the same time, I do believe in preparing early so that you can truly celebrate the holiday when it comes.

Like many others, I love and cherish Christmas time, and as my girls are growing old enough to appreciate it I am trying to make it more of a holy and peaceful time and less stressful.  I love of all the trappings of Christmas that make it special, but we only have a limited amount of money to spend and a lot of family members to buy for and things we'd like to do.

My solution is to try to make a plan for Christmas now, including my budget, gift idea lists, visiting plans, and decoration and baking ideas.  For the past few years I've kept a little Christmas notebook, to keep all these lists in one place.  I take it with me when I shop, and it keeps me from feeling overwhelmed.  It also helps me focus on what my priorities for the season are and what I think I can accomplish.

Of course, my planning is far from perfect, and I'm usually scrambling for some things at the last minute.  But I try to improve every year!  I've read several helpful blog posts recently that have inspired me to get into planning, including The Simple Mom's 12 Weeks to a Peaceful Christmas and Frugal in Virginia's Santa's Cutting Back. In the next few weeks, I'll also be sharing some of the ways that I'm preparing for Christmas, especially how I'm trying to do it frugally!

Planning ahead for Christmas Works for Me!