12 Things You Should Be Doing NOW For A Stress-Free Christmas
Published by
Clare Whitfield
Last Updated
We are big Christmas lovers at SAHM, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t learn some hard lessons in the past few years about how to do Christmas right.
For us, a good Christmas is a super organised one. The kind of Christmas where, for the most part, everything goes off without a hitch. Those Christmases don’t just walk through the door through, they take a bit of preparation to come through.
May we suggest some tips and tricks so the holidays don’t make you go crazy?
1. Make Your Gift Lists Now!
While they’re not the centre of a Christmas celebration, presents do take a starring role for aspects of your Christmas experience, and they can take a long time to get together. If you have a large family who like to exchange gifts, or you want to choose gifts that the people you are buying for will really appreciate, you’ll want to start making your lists as early as possible. Jotting down some ideas about what presents to get people can really save you time in the long run, particularly when you’re frazzled from other things.
2. Don’t Delay Shopping!
There’s a lot going on at the end of the year, and we get it. However, delaying your shopping is definitely not the way to go. In fact, delaying your Christmas shopping is more likely to cost you more in the long-run, as well as make it more likely that you won’t be able to get the presents that you had on your list. Not to mention that as Christmas gets even closer, the crowds are even more insane. Trust us and be more organised, so shop early!
3. Shop Online
If you absolutely cannot handle the idea of going to the shops to buy your presents, and you’re organised enough to be looking for presents with weeks to go before the big day, you should shop online. When you think about it, shopping online is the ultimate haven for organised people. You can put everything in your cart and see the cost, search the web for discount coupons, and have it delivered to your door. Convenient and organised!
4. Buy Decorations Early
People are often a bit hesitant about jumping on the Christmas bandwagon early, but there are actually quite a few reasons it makes sense to buy your decorations early. For one, it makes it easier to stick with whatever theme you might have envisioned for Christmas. For another, it means you have the ultimate choice in terms of quality of your decorations. You can wait to save some money, but that means more stress in the shopping and setting up process.
5. Get Your Wrapping Goods
As with decorations, so with wrapping paper. Getting your wrapping paper and other wrapping good early means you’re guaranteed to be more organised’for Christmas. It means you’ll be able to wrap presents as you buy them, making the job far more manageable. It also means that you’ll have first choice as to the wrapping paper to get, and you’ll make the most of early-season sales.
Next Page: What’s your menu?..and more things you should start preparing NOW.
6. Narrow Your Guest List
For those people brave enough to invite family and friends over to their homes for Christmas celebrations, we urge you to get your guest lists finalised. Having a clear cut idea of how many people are attending your festivities is integral in planning them, and should be figured out early in the process. That way you can sort out the food, beverages, and other goodies for your guests. To play it safe, give yourself 1-2 people leeway on top of your guest number.
7. Figure Out Your Christmas Menu
So, you know who will be eating your food, but do you know what they’ll be eating? Getting your Christmas menu planned well ahead of time means you can keep an eye out for ingredients on sale, both staple and fresh. It also allows you to figure out cooking times and how to best utilise your overworked oven and your fridge for chilling. That way, on the big day, everything goes off without a hitch.
8. Organise Family Activity –
Christmas can become chaotic very quickly with so many things happening, that families often exit the holiday season without having taken the time to really enjoy it. Organise yourself some quality family time by making a point to do a family activity. Something like a board game, a walk together, or a mini-trip somewhere in the week of Christmas and New Year is a great way to get out of the chaos of home, and reconnect together. The only issue is, if you don’t organise it in advance, you probably won’t get it done!
9. Clean Your House In Stages
It’s nice to welcome in the new year with a nice clean home, but that doesn’t come without some effort and organisation. The good news is, you absolutely can do it in stages. Start well before Christmas by decluttering and simplifying the spaces of your home, both public and private. Then do a big clean in the weeks leading up to Christmas, and smaller ‘top-up’ cleans to keep everything looking fresh and sparkling.
10. Empty Your Fridge Before Stocking –
We’re all guilty of loading the fridge up with a few weeks worth of shopping without taking the time to empty it out. Well, we aren’t judging you for that, but we are advising you to empty your fridge out before Christmas. When Christmas rolls around, and you’ve got way too much food on your hands, you’re going to need places to put it. Food that is expired or just sitting in jars and containers is taking up valuable space, so clear out the fridge and freezer before Santa pops in for maximum organisation.
11. Discuss Christmas ‘Rules’
An organised life is a life with rules. To keep your Christmas as organised as possible, set your family and your kids some clear Christmas rules. – Setting rules for your behaviour in your kids, with some strict Christmas-related consequences, should ensure your little ones don’t go feral over the holidays. Getting onto the rules early means you’ll have less to worry about in the midst of getting everything ready, and trying to enjoy the Christmas season.
12. Set Aside Time For You
This one is often so difficult for parents and caregivers to do, but it’s a must around Christmas when there are so many expectations on you. Think of something you really enjoy, like getting a mani/pedi, having a nice meal, or getting a massage, and set aside a window of time in the lead-up to Christmas, or just after, to do that. A rested and relaxed mind is an organised one, so this is really for everyone’s benefit!
How do you make sure you’re super organised’for Christmas?
Clare WhitfieldChief Editor
Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.
While they’re not the centre of a Christmas celebration, presents do take a starring role for aspects of your Christmas experience, and they can take a long time to get together. If you have a large family who like to exchange gifts, or you want to choose gifts that the people you are buying for will really appreciate, you’ll want to start making your lists as early as possible. Jotting down some ideas about what presents to get people can really save you time in the long run, particularly when you’re frazzled from other things. 
There’s a lot going on at the end of the year, and we get it. However, delaying your shopping is definitely not the way to go. In fact, delaying your Christmas shopping is more likely to cost you more in the long-run, as well as make it more likely that you won’t be able to get the presents that you had on your list. Not to mention that as Christmas gets even closer, the crowds are even more insane. Trust us and be more organised, so shop early! 
If you absolutely cannot handle the idea of going to the shops to buy your presents, and you’re organised enough to be looking for presents with weeks to go before the big day, you should shop online. When you think about it, shopping online is the ultimate haven for organised people. You can put everything in your cart and see the cost, search the web for discount coupons, and have it delivered to your door. Convenient and organised! 
It’s nice to welcome in the new year with a nice clean home, but that doesn’t come without some effort and organisation. The good news is, you absolutely can do it in stages. Start well before Christmas by decluttering and simplifying the spaces of your home, both public and private. Then do a big clean in the weeks leading up to Christmas, and smaller ‘top-up’ cleans to keep everything looking fresh and sparkling. 
Hi, thanks for bringing that up! It’s 160°C. Give us a min to rectify this oversight so it won’t confuse…