Things I Do Now So December Doesn’t Feel Overwhelming

I love the season of Christmas. I am one of “those people” who decorates early because I love to really enjoy and embrace the season for as long as I can. The month of December can quickly become stressful and I am sure we have all experienced those moments.

Here are eight things I do before Thanksgiving that ends up easing my holiday stress.

Unsubscribe.

Come November, our inboxes are going to blasted with emails about Black Friday deals and Christmas must-haves. Instead of just deleting emails in the month of October, I take a few extra seconds to also unsubscribe to anything I really don’t care about. This helps to not have as much junk sent my way come the holiday season.

Out with the old.

My 12-year-old daughter’s room is constantly in disarray. This serves as a reminder that she really doesn’t need any more “stuff”. But I know the reality is that she is going to get more “stuff” for Christmas. Each year about this time, her and I do a huge room clean out. We end up donating a lot that has been barely used and of course there is also a lot of trash we come across as well. I try to donate the items in almost new condition we inevitably will find to places I know have kids in need. This process helps me stress less about her receiving new items for Christmas.

Start building wish lists.

My 15-year old son, like most teenage boys, is really challenging to shop for. Unless my budget is four figures, which it’s not. I start making note or stocking up in the fall for things I know he will like or needs more of at some point. Things like his plain t-shirts from Costco that he always needs more of and additional pairs of goggles for his swim team bag. Teenage boys have expensive taste in things like shoes so it’s typically one larger item and then a few small items.

My 12-year old daughter is very easy to shop for so my task at hand is getting her to focus on things she actually will use versus just more stuff to pile up in her room.

Start shopping.

The main reason I love early shopping is because financially it doesn’t all hit in December. It’s easy to go overboard and let the material part of Christmas take point. I use an app tracker called Gift List which not only helps me stay organized but helps me to track what I am spending.

Plan community service.

December gets very busy very fast. I like our family to do something over the holiday season whether it be adopting a family or some sort of volunteer service. I plan it early before the calendar gets too crazy. This helps center us back on the reason for the season as well.

Order wrapping paper.

This one might sound silly but I order wrapping paper in September or October each year. I am particular about my wrapping paper and find it really fun to select my color themes each year. One of my favorites is the Sugar Paper brand. Sometimes it sells out and this is one less thing to do come December.

Take or pick out the Christmas card picture.

I still mail out Christmas cards. I know this isn’t as common as it once was but it brings me joy to send and to receive cards so it is something I imagine I will always do. I make sure that by early November, I have our picture picked out. I don’t splurge on family photos each year but, instead, I have a friend take a few for us. Bonus points to also pick out and order the actual cards in early November.

Organize the Christmas Card Mailing List.

On the topic of Christmas cards, I try to also ensure my list is updated by early November. I try to make notes each year when people move so I update new addresses onto my label template. Sometimes there are people we remove and often a couple more to add to the list from families we have met over the past year. There are often moments of, “didn’t the Millers move?” so I like to get that all sorted out ahead of the season.

We’d love to hear your ideas too!