It feels like we are racing at a breaking-neck speed towards Thanksgiving. Here I sit with a week to go before packing up and traveling on that blessed craziest-travel-day-of-the-year. And all I can think about is as soon as we return the Christmas celebrations begin immediately. I L O V E Christmas. Love, love, love. I am the crazy Christmas person who actually caved and bought Christmas trees for the kid’s bedrooms so they can each have their own to decorate.
But I would be lying through my teeth if I didn’t also say that the season can easily push me to the overwhelmed and stressed out state of mind. It’s easy to do. We all have to go through our normal daily routines and responsibilities of work, cleaning, kid chauffeuring, and laundry. And sleep. We need to add that in somewhere. Add to this list a constant stream of decorating, parties, dinners, concerts, shopping and baking and I am already tired from typing out the list. So how do we balance the extra to-dos with the daily to-dos? I am confident that we can find a sense of balance, and it begins now, before Thanksgiving arrives.
If you are in the “I don’t decorate for Christmas or listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving” camp, you are welcome to stay right there. But I would urge you to consider knocking a few things off of your holiday to-do list before December 1st. This opens up the month of December for more time spent with family, relaxing and enjoying the season.
This list of seven ways to stay organized this season may seem like a lot. But most of the tasks can be done in 30 minutes or less. The best part? Many of these tasks will pay off next year, creating even less work for the 2019 season.
You can find a copy of our gift tracker over here.
Christmas decorating tips and inspiration are coming soon. And I will be sharing my favorite rooms decorated for Christmas over on my IG stories. (Make sure you are following me here.) But before we talk decorating take some time to tackle one or two of the tasks on this list. Because I know first hand that when my to-do list feels like it is spinning out of control I have little time left to sit and enjoy my cozy home, no matter how perfectly Christmasy it may feel.
Have you begun to plan for the Christmas season? What do you tackle before December 1st arrives? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.