Sisters’ Countdown to Christmas: Details, Details

Oh boy–Christmas is in just three weeks!  We’re counting down the weeks with tips to help you keep your Christmas season, stress-free and under budget!

Now that we’ve made it through last week’s Thanksgiving festivities, it’s time to really turn our eyes toward the big day that’s coming up in just three short weeks.  It’s time to make sure some of the details are ironed out so you’re not worrying about the little things at the last minute:

• Do you know the dates and times of family gatherings?
• Have you made travel arrangements if necessary?
• Are your cards ordered/addressed/mailed?
• Do you have gift wrap, tape, bows, tags, etc?
• If you’re making homemade gifts, do you have the ingredients and supplies you need?  And do you have a little time set aside to get them ready?

This week’s action plan:

If the answer to all of the questions above is a resounding “YES!” you’re good to go…and you’re invited over to my place to help me take care of my lingering NO‘s!  😉  (Just kidding…mostly…)  The point is to take a little time this week to make sure you’re ready to roll for Christmas, and to try to anticipate and deal with the kinds of details that can really cause stress if you find out at the last minute that they’re not taken care of. 

So, if necessary, get on the phone and nail down those holiday plans (and get them on the calendar so the whole family knows the game plan!).  If you haven’t already taken care of Christmas cards, this is a great week to find a deal and get that knocked out.  Do a quick inventory of your wrapping supplies, and get your needs on a shopping list.  Same with anything you need for homemade gifts or holiday baking–that way you’ll be ready when you have time to get started on those things. 

And finally, check in with your gift list again after Black Friday/Cyber Monday…how are you doing with checking people off and staying within your budget?  Identify your remaining needs and start coming up with a plan for finishing your shopping.