4 Ways To Make Next Christmas Easier

You might be tired of thinking about stress and Christmas right now.

Especially if there were any mishaps along the way.

Whether you couldn’t find the turkey lacers and thermometer, burnt the turkey, or couldn’t find the indoor and outdoor light timers, we all encounter some stressful mishaps during the holiday season.

But why does this stress seem to happen year after year?

One would think we might learn from our mistakes, but yet here we are rummaging through un-labeled boxes for the tenth time.

And it doesn’t come down to laziness as much as it does disorganization.

Maybe you’ve never learned how many decorations you need for a certain space.

Or how to plan a color theme.

Or how much greenery to buy each year (I document this and take photos so I don’t overspend and can save time decorating).

Or even to keep a running list of gift ideas and clothing sizes throughout the year!

We all have our stress points when it comes to holidays.

Next year, I want you to have the most successful, stress-free Christmas yet!

In order to achieve this, we must start early… like as soon as this Christmas wraps up!

Because throwing decorations into miscellaneous boxes now is only going to hinder this goal for next year.

Let’s begin with the Most Common Holiday Struggles:

Common Struggles Around Christmas

• • Making the same mistakes each year due to disorganization

  • Not having a clear vision of how to decorate the following year

  • Winging it with no decorating timeline, which leads to feeling overwhelmed and stressed trying to figure it out last minute in a rush

  • Unlabeled bins, so you have to open every single box to even see what they contain

  • Rethinking how to store away and organize all the decor in existing containers (I have a huge time-saver for you here that you can even delegate to family members!) 

  • Overspending on gifts, no clear budget

  • Wasting precious time searching for recipes and meal plans

Debrief what worked well (or what didn’t)

Did you try a new stuffing recipe? Test a Secret Santa style of gift exchanging?

This is where you’ll keep record of anything new you’ve tried, and how it went. While it’s still fresh in your memory, write down or type up anything you did this Christmas that went really well, and what missed the mark. You can also include anything you want to try for next year, too. This offloads any of the stress of trying to keep your mental notes in order.

Below is a list of some useful prompts:

• Did you have to travel too much / too little?

• Would a getaway holiday have been nice, or did you really enjoy spending time at home?

• Did you enjoy hosting? Would you prefer more, or less guests next year?

• Is there anything on your holiday bucket list that you wish you had done?

• Has your family aged out of some traditions and they now need to be revamped (or to do something totally different)?

• What parts of your holiday were such hits that you’d like to do them again?

• What did you imagine going really well but didn’t work out as planned? If you’ll try it again, how can it be improved?

Create a Pinterest board

My favorite of all! Piece together some images that inspire you, bring you joy, and that are just downright beautiful!

Nothing sets us straight into motion like having a plan ready early. Create a board titled “Christmas [year]” and start pinning. Now you’ve got all year to make a vision board for how you want next Christmas to look! Think about what you imagine in each space, outdoors, table settings, everything down to the last detail. This leaves no room for hmm-ing and haw-ing next year.

Here are some of our faves from Pinterest!

Purge, Label bins, + Make a list of the contents

We’ve all got some decorations we’ll never put out again. Don’t feel pressured by family obligation to keep items that are really just clutter to you.

If you really don’t like and won’t use those special decorations from your great-great grandma, pass them on. Another family member might be ideal but if nobody wants them, reach out to some friends or secondhand stores. If you’ve taken a liking to a certain theme the last few years, then only keep those blue and silver decorations. Whatever you do end up purging, just remember to label the rest. Group like things together (tree decorations, dining room settings, outdoors, etc.) so unpacking will be a breeze.

Quick Tip: Store your “Worked/Didn’t Work” list in a labeled Christmas box. Call it “Open First” or something along those lines so you’ll know to open it before anything else.

Scour the January sales

Sales start popping up everywhere right after the holidays, and not just for Boxing Day. Right now shops are looking to offload their excess Christmas supplies, too.

There is no better time of year to stock up on Christmas-y items than right after the holiday itself! After all the fun (and stress) has come and gone, stores are usually stuck with a bunch of extra goodies. So prep a list of what you need or would like to replace (this will keep you from overbuying) and hit the mall!

Take photos of how you decorated this year so you can refer to it next year. This has saved me a lot of time each year, as well save money because I don’t overspend on new decorations that I don’t really need. Plus you can always make little changes as desired!.

If any indoor or outdoor lights have stopped working, I’ll also make note of that so I have that important info for next year’s setup. I’m then able to purchase the replacements early instead of rushing at the last minute trying to find the correct color and style.

All of this has made decorating a lot less stressful at my household – and I hope it can do the same for you!

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