Now, we don’t want to take away from the joys and quirkiness of sitting by the fireplace with your well-deserved eggnog in hand, but nine times out of ten, people rush into the Christmas season being the least bit prepared and crunching their plans at the last minute. As a result, it’s not uncommon to find shipping orders backed up, foodie problems coming out of the woodwork, and being forced to compromise just to make ends meet and still have a spectacular holiday.
Sure, some would argue that all the hustle, bustle, and Christmas planning adrenaline are all part of the package, but we think it’s time to change this tradition and to start preparing earlier than waiting for the last two weeks to bite you in the back. And instead of intentionally putting yourself through frantic shopping and planning sprees, here’s our take on the objective holiday to-do list you’ll ever need to follow before Christmas rolls around.
Don’t Stress Yourself Out With Last-Minute Shopping!
Firstly, there’s no denying that last-minute shopping is the bane of many households’ existence, and while it doesn’t sound as bad on paper, remember that filling up malls and shopping centers during the Christmas rush hour is a no-go in 2021. Plus, you’re online order shopping carts won’t do you good either if you make the purchase a bit too late because you’re exposing those packages to the risk of delays with the holiday season.
- Plan Your Budget Early Before It’s Too Late: While many of us would love to go on a shopping spree for gifts and presents, not everyone has the luxury of deep pockets and a near-limitless credit card to fund all sorts of extravagance. Therefore, it is in your best interests to create a budget plan early because money’s the last thing you want to worry about on Christmas day. And you’ll thank us for looking up the costs of more important gifts like beautiful rings or wedding bands and designer clothing.
- Get Those Orders And Deliveries Moving ASAP: Like most people, you’ll probably rely on Amazon, Etsy, or any other online store platform to do all the shopping for you. However, don’t forget that the downside to ordering things online is not knowing what might come in the package and the potential problems it will run into before it arrives at your doorstep. So, we recommend that you get those deliveries moving ASAP to give you some breathing room for when they come.
As Far As Food Is Concerned, Keep Things Modest
In addition to gifts, nothing expresses the holiday cheer better than Christmas dinner; it’s just the culmination of everything we love, from good food to having the dearest people right beside you. But, as far as your foodie problems are concerned, we suggest that you keep your recipes modest and just enough for everyone to go around because you wouldn’t want a delicious feast to be the reason behind an empty wallet right out of the holidays.
- Do A Headcount For Christmas Dinner: For starters, you’d want to do a headcount for Christmas dinner first so that your fridge isn’t filled with leftovers by the end of the holiday season. Sure, it doesn’t hurt to have some leftover cake to eat over the weekends, but nobody enjoys cleaning up the mess it leaves afterward. So, you might want to prepare just the right amount of food and enough to last Mariah Carey’s new Christmas songs.
- Don’t Forget Your Holiday Sweets & Desserts: We love a delicious main course, but just because we love our glazed baked hams and roasted whole chickens don’t mean it should come at the expense of sweets and desserts. Sure, it might not be the main appeal to a Christmas dinner, but the sweeter options are there all holiday season and are something you wouldn’t want to run out of before Christmas Eve. So, please don’t slack on your cakes, cookies, and even your gingerbread house if the opportunity presents itself.
Declutter The Space And Keep The House Clean
Lastly, one thing you should never forget to save yourself the trouble when Christmas rolls around is decluttering the space and keeping your house clean until the long-awaited hour arrives. You see, despite all the holiday cheer and joy that echos across the room on Christmas day, things can get quite messy, and you might not have the free time to clean up as you go. Therefore, you’re much better off cleaning up first so that you don’t have much to deal with when it’s time to put things back in store for next year.
- Prioritize Cleaning If You’re Traveling: Likewise, if you’re planning to go out traveling on your Christmas vacation, we urge you to prioritize cleaning up the house before leaving so you don’t come back home to a mess. We love seeing new places and exploring different cultures just as much as the next family, but the last thing we’d want to do after coming back home in our extravagant power suits is to think about what to clean first. So, save yourself the headache and get it over with before your travel schedule.
Make This Christmas The Best You’ve Ever Seen!
Overall, we believe that this Christmas should triumph over every other holiday season you’ve come to experience because we all deserve a special break after all the troubled times and stress we’ve gone through in 2021. And to make this dream a reality, feel free to go over the tips mentioned above once again and cherry-pick the advice that works best for you.
