This is the fourth post in a year-long series all about taking baby steps to prepare for a stress-free Christmas next year. Here’s what to do in April to prepare for next Christmas!
It’s April and Easter season is upon us! I always feel like Easter is kind of Christmas’ little cousin so this is a great time of year for thinking about Christmas preparations. Your Easter celebrations may cause you to think about something that you want to do to be better prepared for Christmas this year, and that fresh burst of inspiration will be extra helpful this month. We won’t be having any big family dinners this year for Easter, unfortunately, but hopefully we’ll be able to for Christmas, so I’m going to work on making this current holiday as fun for our kids as possible, while also keeping myself happy by planning for happier, future holidays, rather than feeling grumpy about not being able to have the Easter I was hoping for. I love this month’s tasks. I think they’re going to be really effective at making me feel like I’m super organized already for December.
How This Works
Every month, I’ll share a short list of three to five actionable items. These will be little baby steps that you can take care of to get some of the tasks you might normally find yourself doing in December done well ahead of time. The goal here is to free you up to actually enjoy the holiday season as much as possible and to leave some time for things like spontaneous baking, winter walks with the family, fun decor projects, and things like that without making you feel stressed out about all the stuff you’re putting off doing, because all of the “have to do” stuff will already be done!
Of course, I’ll be doing all of these tasks right along with you and reporting back about how it all goes.
How I Did in March
March was such a super simple month as far as Christmas preparations went, which suited me just fine. Here’s how I did with our three tasks from last month.
Buy Stamps
Did it! I picked up a couple of packs of stamps when I was dropping off a return at the post office one day. Easy-peasy.
Buy 2 Packs of Thank You Cards
For this one, I ended up just organizing the cards I already had. When I went to see what I might need, I realized that I already had quite a few and they just needed to be organized a bit so that I could actually find just the right one when it came time to use them.
Buy Slippers
I just picked up a couple of fluffy pairs that will work for multiple people later on down the line. So easy!
What to do in April to Prepare for Next Christmas
As I said, I think this is a pretty great month for moving us ahead. Our gift storage areas are going to start to look pretty full and we’re going to start to feel like we’re really on top of our game.
Set Aside Extra Stuff From Easter Baskets
This won’t necessarily apply to everyone, because of course some people don’t buy gifts at Easter, but rather have the Easter bunny bring eggs and gifts and hide things all over the house. But for those that make up little baskets for their kids or grandkids at Easter, they might find that they have a few extra things that don’t quite fit into the baskets. I tend to go a little overboard for gift giving celebrations and I often find myself saying “This is ridiculous. This is just too much stuff.” So if that’s the case for you, choose a few non-Easter-y items to set aside and save them for Christmas! Boom! You just got a head start on your stocking stuffers. 🙂
Organize Ornament/Decor Storage
Right now is the absolute best time to do this. We did go through and purge a few decor items that we no longer use earlier in the year, but now a few months have passed and you’ll really be able to look at things with a new perspective and a clear mind. This time isn’t so much about purging old stuff, although some of that may happen, but it’s about taking everything out and organizing it in an orderly way without the pressure of actually having to use it or make any big decisions. It will take you a lot less time than you think it will and it will be such a gift to your future self.
Buy Cozy Blankets
A cozy blanket is such a comforting thing to give to anyone at any time. Pick up a few to add to your gift stash and you’ll definitely find homes for them at Christmas. As a bonus, you won’t get sucked into buying any Christmassy themed ones so you’ll end up with more neutral choices that your recipients will be able to use all year round.
Buy Wines and Liqueurs for Gifts
If you find yourself giving wine or liqueurs as hostess gifts at Christmas time, now is a great time to stock up and get those on-hand. Buy a few extras as well because they’ll probably come in handy for summer bbq season too!
And that’s this month’s tasks! How are you doing so far with your Christmas preparations? Are you starting to feel a bit more organized compared to last year?
MORE IDEAS LIKE THIS
- What to do in March to Prepare for Next Christmas
- What to do in February to Prepare for Next Christmas
- What to do in January to Prepare for Next Christmas
- The Monthly Christmas Countdown Archives Page
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.