How To Get More Organised For Christmas

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It is officially December and for the majority of us (myself included!) we are in full Christmas planning mode. Decorations, gifts, Christmas lunch, friends, family and ALL the wrapping! Not to mention planning some fun Christmas activities and fitting in a trip to see Father Christmas himself on the Polar Express!).It can sometimes feel completely overwhelming and if you are anything like me, despite your best intentions, you will still be running around Christmas eve doing some last minute bits and pieces.

But this year I am determined to be better, I am determined to be organised. This Christmas eve I am making a promise to myself that on Christmas eve I will be at home, enjoying Christmas eve with my kids, making Christmas crafts and bakes, watching Christmas movies and best of all spending the day just chilling out together.

So I thought I would share with you some of the ways I am planning on getting more organised over the festive period in case its something you are hoping to do too!


Calendars & Lists

I don't know what it is about a list that makes me feel more in control, but everything seems less daunting once I have a list. Plus lets face it we all know how satisfying it is to tick things off our list when they are done too!

This year I have brought a pretty new notebook which I am going to use to write all my lists inside and I will be carrying it around with me everywhere! I have so far written out lists of the gifts I have brought each child, a list of everything I need for Christmas lunch and even a Christmas card list of all the people I want to send cards & gifts to this year. It has already made me feel more organised as I can just refer back to my notebook rather than relying on my rather frazzled memory. Having it with me all the time means I can scribble and jot down reminders and notes as I go too.

This year I have also plan on buying myself a little calendar (such as these Captain Notepad calendars)  to keep by my bedside. On it I plan on writing all the important dates for school such as Christmas discos, non uniform days and Christmas lunch. As well as any play dates we plan, Santa visits we book or just time to spend with family Having it by my bed means I can check it each morning when I wake up (or before I go to bed) and know what's happening that day!

Wrapping as you go

Every Christmas eve as I sit surrounded by a pile of presents, rolls of paper and cellotape coming from my ears, I swear that next year I will have this all done way before Christmas. But this year I am already feeling more organised (and maybe even a little smug) that so far all of my wrapping is already done!

The key has been wrapping as I go. I have a small cupboard in my room that the kids can't get into. I have been placing a box inside and filling it with gifts as I buy them. Then once the box is full, I have taken it and wrapped and labelled the gifts inside (being sure to make a note of what's what so I can keep track). I then tape up the box, wrap it in a black bag and pop it into the loft. It means that on Christmas eve I can now just get the boxes down, empty out the gifts and then recycle the boxes!

Of course I am sure I will have a few little gifts to do that I buy last minute but it won't be anywhere near the stress felt when you have a mound of gifts to wrap and all your want is Christmas films and a glass of prosecco!

Prep what you can early on

Do you remember that saying "Fail to prepare, Prepare to fail!"? I definitely do and I really think it rings true when it comes to Christmas prep too. Preparing is key and getting what you can done before hand can make all the difference to the time you are then left with to spend with family.

Have a think about the things you could plan in advance, you could even make a list! Then slowly but surely get these things done before you are in full Christmas day mode. Things like laying the table for Christmas lunch, this could easily be done on Christmas eve once you are finished with the table. Prepping any veg etc for Christmas lunch can again be done on Christmas eve and means you won't be stuck at the sink prepping veg and missing the kids opening gifts!

Shop Online 

Now I know online shopping is nothing new but honestly over Christmas it is a total game changer for me. At a time when the shops are super busy (heck I couldn't even park at my local shopping centre this weekend due to crowds!) you can quickly turn from festive to stressed in a matter of moments.

This year I plan on taking full advantage of shopping online, both for gifts and my food shop. You can in fact already book your Christmas food shop slot online with most major supermarkets so if this is something you are planning on using, get in there quick! Doing your food shop online means you can sit at home in your pjs, and await the shop to be delivered to your door, no getting bashed in the ankles by trolleys or battling crowds, you could even stay in your pjs if you wish.

I have also done a fair amount of my Christmas shopping online this year too! I find it helps me to stay focused and not be drawn in to waste money on bits I spot in the shop. But also it helps me keep track of what I am spending AND when you buy online you can read other customers reviews there and then to see what the product is like before buying.

Have a clear out, plan one room at a time

We all do it, we get to the end of Christmas day and glance at the pile of toys and presents your kids have been gifted and wonder where on earth you are going to put them all! But the run up to Christmas is a great time and chance to have a clear out and clean up before lots of new things are brought into the home.

Get your kids involved, explain to them that they need to clear room and give them a box each to fill. They can then fill it with toys they no longer want then you can check through it once they are done. If there are toys/books/games in there that could be reused you could donate to a charity etc. Any broken toys can then go in the bin and hopefully you are left with a bit more room for more toys and gifts!

Another thing I always do before Christmas is use it as a good excuse to defrost my freezer, clean out the cupboard and give the oven a good scrub too! We always seem to stock up over Christmas so we need all the freezer space we can get. When December comes around I go through the freezer, cook up any bits that are loose, save any its that are useful and throw anything we didn't like or that is out of date. I do the same with the fridge and cupboards too. That way the kitchen is decluttered and ready to be filled with lots of Christmas goodies PLUS when you do your big Christmas food shop, you are much more organised by having more space and knowing what you do and don't have in the house already!

Are you feeling organised for Christmas this year? What are your top tips for getting organised and minimising stress over the Christmas period?

xXx


**This is a collaborative post in which I received a fee.**