3 Practical Tips For Quick & Easy Christmas Organizing

Three simple and effective Christmas organizing tips to reduce stress. From creating to-do lists to decluttering for a more peaceful Holiday season.

Start Your Christmas Organizing Early To Avoid Overwhelm

We look forward to the Holidays every year. Nothing is better than anticipating cooking your favorite traditional Holiday dishes and filling the house with the smell of baking cookies. Not to mention hanging the decorations, snuggling up with a crackling fire, and watching your favorite Holiday movies. All while basking in the warm light of the Christmas tree.

But every year, we conveniently forget the stress the season can bring. Jam-packed calendars filled with Holiday parties social engagements, and family get-togethers. Scrambling for last-minute gifts, pushing your way through crowded grocery stores. It’s easy to sink into the overwhelm of all of the new stuff that inevitably inundates the house.

If you don't get out ahead of it, the Holiday season can easily devolve into a cranky chaotic mess, leaving you counting down the days until you can stuff all of those decorations back into the closet and get on with the New Year. Ba humbug!

To help you from becoming a Holiday scrooge, we’ve gathered our best tips for easy Christmas organizing so you can feel prepared, relaxed, and ready to enjoy all of the Holiday festivities.

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1) Start Planning Your Holiday Schedule Before the Hustle and Bustle Begins

Plot upcoming Holiday events on a calendar. If you are sharing the Holidays with your spouse or a special someone, creating a shared calendar with Google Calendars or an old-school desktop calendar is a great way to make sure that important dates aren't missed and that you can identify any conflicting events ahead of time so you can work out how you want to prioritize family get-togethers.
Cross off any events that you aren't looking forward to. Make time for those Holiday highlights you look forward to most, whether it's decorating cookies with the kids, gift shopping with Mom, or Holiday cocktails with your besties. Remind yourself you are not obligated to accept every invitation you receive. Of course, have those important conversations involving family to ensure you aren't stepping on the toes and causing hurt feelings.
Identify to-dos that you can get out of the way early on. For example, a Costco run to pick up the Holiday cooking essentials, stocking up on gift wrap and ribbons, or creating your mailing list for Holiday cards. These tasks are a lot more enjoyable when you aren't under a time crunch.

2) Declutter and Make Room for Incoming Gifts and Decorations

Before the Holidays are in full swing, set aside a few hours to declutter any items in the house, Holiday related or not, that you're willing to donate to free up a little space. Once the dust settles, you'll be so glad you did when it's time to find a home for your new gifts and decorations. This doesn't need to be an overwhelming task. A bag or two can give you a little inner peace.
This is also a great time to think about tidying up the kitchen before the Holiday cooking and baking begins. Take a little time to review your baking essentials to ensure nothing is expired and identify if you are running low on any necessary supplies. Nothing is worse than starting a recipe and realizing that bugs have made their way into your flour or that you're almost out of van i lla.

3) Start Making Lists (and Checking Them Twice)

There is a lot to get done before and during the Holidays, but hopefully, most of it is fun! Creating a master list with categories for all of the things to be accomplished can be really helpful so you can refer to everything in one place
Some categories we like to include are tasks to get done around the home, meal planning/grocery shopping, gift giving
One of our favorite parts of the Holidays is giving unique and personal gifts. Creating a list and setting a budget is essential. Typically we include a list of recipients, the amount we expect to spend, and the idea for the gift.
This master list is also a great place to track menu planning. Compile the recipes you want to make for any Holiday get-togethers and the ingredients you will need to have on hand. This is also a great opportunity to give your guests advanced notice for any dishes you'd like them to bring as well. Don't forget to note any treats or side dishes for holiday gatherings, work parties, school activities, etc.
Make a Holiday bucket list of all of the fun and festive things you want to do over the season. Keep it realistic and keep it to activities that are the most meaningful to you.

Suggested Reading: 5 Simple Holiday Budgeting Tips to Start Thinking About Right Now

This master list is also a great place to track menu planning. Compile the recipes you want to make for any Holiday get-togethers and the ingredients you will need to have on hand. This is also a great opportunity to give your guests advanced notice for any dishes you'd like them to bring as well. Don't forget to note any treats or side dishes for holiday gatherings, work parties, school activities, etc.

Make a Holiday bucket list of all of the fun and festive things you want to do over the season. Keep it realistic and keep it to activities that are the most meaningful to you.

We hope these ideas help to take some of the stress and anxiety out of the upcoming Holiday season and allows you to take in all of the peace, love, and joy the season should be about!