Can you believe Christmas is here again?! As women, the holidays are wonderful and overwhelming at the same time. There is so much to do! When it comes to big projects and getting things done, I’ve found the trick is to break it down, eliminate what isn’t essential, and identify clear action steps. This is especially helpful in planning something as big as Christmas.
Everyone has their own unique tasks and traditions for Christmas, so today I want to talk about 4 tasks that are common to just about everyone. I’m even going to suggest a checklist to help you get done what needs to get done because Christmas is in 3 ½ weeks! Can you believe it? There’s a reality check!
Dec. 1-3 – Decorate

If you haven’t done it already, this weekend is the time. Most of us are off work and out of school, and if you’re going to decorate, you’ll want to enjoy it for the whole month of December. It’s too much work to only get those decorations up for a week or two!
Quick Tips:

December 4-6 – Create your December Calendar

December is definitely the party month. All sides of the family, old friends, coworkers, church groups – it seems that we must celebrate the holiday season with everyone we know…and that can add up to a lot of parties! One trick I discovered a few years ago was to create an old school, Franklin Covey-like calendar for the month of December. My iPhone only allows me to see a day at a time. But a month-at-a-glance calendar helps me see just how busy I will be. My challenge to all of you is to create this calendar of events soon after decorating…between December 4-6.
Quick Tips:

By Saturday, December 16 – Strive to complete all shopping
I’m sure most of us have already gotten a head start with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But then we relax and suddenly the deadline is sneaking up on us. We hate that feeling of hoping that items will be shipped in time, or panicking when certain gifts have become unavailable. Give yourself the deadline of shopping, placing all orders and having all gifts safely in your home by Saturday, December 16.
Quick Tips:

Gift Wrapping – Wrap it up by Wednesday, December 20.
As a rookie parent, I realized one Christmas Eve that I still had ALL the wrapping to do. After a very late night, I never made that mistake again! A few years later, I had to chase all my kiddos out of the house for hours right before Christmas to avoid that awful Christmas Eve wrapping fiasco. That was also not fun. Growing ever smarter, I now make sure I do it before the kids are out of school for Christmas break. My suggestion? Get it done this year by Wednesday, December 20, or whatever date your kids are out of school for the holiday.
Quick Tips:

This guide isn’t a one-size-fits all, but it can work as a great template to help you get the tasks of Christmas done. The magic of this planner is the peace you can experience the last few days before Christmas…when gifts are shopped for and wrapped and you can celebrate with your friends and family.
I wish you a very merry holiday season, and if you have great holiday tips please share them below!