I am one of those that absolutely loves Christmas. It is the most fun time of year and I love all the hustle and bustle that goes with it, but I don’t like being crazy stressed. I posted a similar post last year that you all enjoyed, so I added a few more tips this year.
Gift Giving: This is always a major point of stress for most of us. I always start a little early and try to find a few presents as the year unfolds that I think people will like. That is all well and good, but if I buy things too early then I forget where I put them, or I wind up with a mess like I have here in the corner of my guest bedroom.
At this time of year I like to get everything out of the bags and pull them all out of the closets and see what I have. Time to take inventory and see what else I need to buy. I lay everything out on the bed in the guest bedroom, so I can see it all. (This is where I can close the door and keep it all a secret)
For guys, I have some shirts that I put in a sack by size, so I know what I have for each person.
Now for the ladies –
I love to buy pretty decor accessories for most of the ladies on my list. Pretty serving dishes, candle holders, decorative boxes, trays and a ton of other decor items always work for most of the gals. Some of the girls like clothes, so I will see what they are into at the moment and shop accordingly.
Now that I know what I have left to buy for everyone on my list, I can concentrate on just those few things and have all my shopping done before Thanksgiving. Just a few things to add for the adults and then I can have fun shopping for toys for the grands.
Recycle What You Can – I have a lot of paper leftover from previous years. I also have a few black and white gift boxes, so those could be added to the mix if I just coordinate all my ribbons. Maybe shop for some black, gold, and white pretty grosgrain ribbon.
I hate to wrap gifts, so getting that done early is a real plus for me. We have a really large landing at the top of the stairs, so I put a small 4ft. work table at the top of the stairs so I could set up a wrapping station. There is plenty of room to walk around it so it isn’t in the way and I can wrap a few presents at a time and then have that chore all done. The table is big enough to hold all my assorted tissues, ribbons, tape and scissors. I have a variety of paper on the floor underneath and boxes and a bag for trash on the side. Perfect.
This corner of the loft/office is the perfect place to stash all those wrapped gifts. They’re not in the way and part of this dreaded chore is done. With the papers I had on hand and the gift bags I already had, I was able to stick to a gold-black and white theme.
You can make gift wrapping really easy by using white boxes and white gift bags you can find at the Dollar Store and one color ribbon.
Start Early: If you are one that likes to decorate the whole house, then start before Thanksgiving for some rooms. Bedrooms, offices, lofts – these are all places you can decorate before Thanksgiving and save the living areas as the grand finale.
Master Bedroom
I don’t go all out in the bedrooms, but a hint of Christmas is what I like.
Guest Bedroom
Just a hint of Christmas in here too. I do have a small tree on the dresser at the foot of the bed.
Loft-Girl Cave/Office
Another small tree on the wicker trunk, a santa and some carolers. That about does it for here.
Let The Baking Begin It is time to get a ton of baking done before Thanksgiving and Christmas. Make a bazillion cookies, breads and candies now and put them all in the freezer. You will be thrilled when all you have to do is place them on a pretty tray or package them up for gifts.
When it gets closer to Christmas, just pull them out of the freezer and wrap them in pretty containers.
TIP: Cookies and Breads freeze really well if you wrap them in foil, then place them in a freezer zip-lock bag. Candy Bark freezes well too and makes a great gift for neighbors. Powdered sugar cookies don’t freeze quite as well and neither does fudge, so make those last.
Adding your Christmas Decor to the Patio and Backyard before Thanksgiving is one way to get a big job done early. You and your guest well love having a preview of Christmas.
TIP: Take a look at previous Christmas pictures to remember how you decorated in the past. Then use those same items in a totally different arrangement this year. Or if you are really pressed for time, just do the same thing again, it will only create fond memories of the past and you won’t have to recreate the wheel.
Since we only have a few days after Thanksgiving until the lst of December, I know most of us are really going to be in a pinch to get all the decorating up in a hurry. If your major shopping, wrapping & baking are done, then you are really home-free. All you have to do is the tree and the main living areas. So plan now while you have a little free time and then just sit back and enjoy.
Marty, Your tips are always so practical and spot on. My son (only child) is getting married the Saturday after Thanksgiving so I have lots of wedding stuff to do between now and then. Normally, I start the decorating that weekend but that’s out this year but that’s OK! I have gotten a jump on the gifts (it’s so fun to have a “daughter” in the family to buy for!!!), so I’m thankful for that. And the decorating may be really scaled back this year but that will just give me more time to reflect on the real reason for the season.
Please know that my heart goes out to you as you journey through the upcoming holidays. I know there is nothing any of us can really say that helps but my prayer is that you will feel the LORD holding you tight and that you and your family will sense His Presence and Peace in tangibles way during the holidays. Isaiah 43:2-3
Love from Mississippi
Love your style and creativity. Words seem insignificant at this time…but glad you and your husband were able together to scale back and relocate and enjoy each other’s company in this space. That may bring comfort to know and experience a space that you both shared.
Good pointers. I love gift wrapping and actually sell my decorated boxes. When my daughter was little and it was just the two of us, I would tell her “If you don’t have much, you have to make it look good”
Know that we are praying for you each day knowing this will be a very difficult time during the holidays. We are so thankful you moved closer to family. Sometimes God has a hand in our plans.
This post is full of good advice! Thank you so much for listing all this out so carefully and for the great tips, Marty.
Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I’m featuring you this week!