This is the eighth post in a year-long series all about taking baby steps to prepare for a stress-free Christmas. Here’s what to do in October to get ready for Christmas!
We’re getting close now and it’s definitely time to step up our efforts! Luckily, I’m feeling like I’ve really hit my stride now with this whole “planning for Christmas” thing and while I didn’t do everything that I would have liked to do this year, I’m definitely feeling like I’m ahead of where I would normally be at this time of year. October is always the month when I start working quite a bit on Christmas so it’s nice to see that my efforts are paying off and I’ve definitely added a little bit of polish to my Christmas game. Next year, I’ll do even better. So let’s get into our to-do list for this month! Here’s what to do in October to prepare for Christmas.
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!
How I did in September
Not bad at all, actually! I definitely enjoyed making my Christmas baking wish list and I’m actually going to be sharing it soon in a separate post. After doing this formally, in writing for the first time, I have some thoughts and some things about the process that really surprised me. 🙂
I also managed to pick up some gift cards for teachers, as well as a few extras for other people like the mailman and our bus drivers. Such an easy thing to get done any time you find yourself in a grocery store or any store that has a wall of gift cards, but it feels so productive.
About the item where we’re supposed to buy all of our advent calendar gifts: I did manage to buy/order a few more, and I have almost all of them, except for the treats that I’ll add in later, but I found that I was actually a little too early for a few of the things I wanted to get! When was the last time you went into a store during the fall months and wondered why the Christmas stuff wasn’t out yet? I always find that it seems to be out way too early, but this year I was even ahead of the powers that be in retail. I was a little annoyed that I couldn’t get my task done, but also kind of impressed with myself at the same time.
What to do in October to Prepare for Christmas
Here’s our new list!
Start Wrapping
My official wrapping start-date every year is October 15th and it works really well for me. Start wrapping any gifts that you have already, even the little ones like stocking stuffers or advent calendar gifts. Every little bit helps a lot. Just try to do one or two every day to start. This will allow you to actually enjoy the process and avoid any back-breaking marathon wrapping sessions later on.
Buy Baking Ingredients for Recipes on Your Wish List
Just start adding one or two things to your list every time you shop for groceries. Baking supplies can really add up if you buy them all at once, and just picking up one or two things at a time can make the whole thing feel much more manageable. You’ll also actually have everything you need in the house if the mood strikes to start your baking a little early!
Finalize Gift Ideas for Specific People and Assign Things You’ve Already Bought to Specific People
If you purchased some generic things that would work for multiple people, it’s time to sit down and put a name to those items so you can see what will work for which person on your list and what you still want to get for them. This works well for members of your extended family, friends, and other people you might like to give a little something to. For your immediate family, it’s time to start asking them for their wish lists so you can start shopping for the “big things”.
Clean/Check/Prepare Linens, Serving Dishes, and Silverware
Just open those cupboards, closets, and drawers up and take a peek. Is it a mess in there or are you pleasantly surprised by what you find? Does anything need to be rewashed or polished? What serving dishes do you think you’ll actually use this year? Is there anything that needs to be replaced or something missing that you need to make sure to order for a dish you’ve been hoping to make? Just take a few minutes to think about these things that you’ll be needing for holiday dinners, parties, and get-togethers and make sure you feel prepared. If you have any silver that needs to be polished ahead of the holiday this is a really fun, easy way to do it.
Blue Ruffled Pie Dish | Similar White Ruffled Baker | Coffee Table (Almost identical, but under $220!) | Marble Chain Objet | Beaded Bowls | Similar Gold Flatware | T-Shirt | Jeans | Necklace | Bracelet
Read my Post: 5 Semi-Sneaky Secrets of People Who Are Really Good at Christmas
Click here to read the post. I wrote this post last year and there are some great reminders in there that are a good idea to read now, when we’re all starting to realize just how close Christmas is and maybe feeling a little bit of stress about it.
MORE IDEAS LIKE THIS
- What to do in September to Prepare for Christmas
- What to in January to Prepare for Next Christmas
- How to Win the Christmas Clutter Battle
- 5 Reasons Why Your Christmas Decor Doesn’t Look Quite Right
- The Creek Line House Christmas Archives
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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.