7 Ways to Plan Ahead for Christmas, Way Ahead
For a less stressful December, start planning for Christmas in July...or August, or September.
You can be the most organized person in the world, yet Christmas seems to sneak up and throw you into a last-minute frenzy. Given how much there is to do—from shopping to meal planning to decorating—planning for Christmas months in advance is the key to protecting your stress levels.
Leaning into the spirit of Christmas in July—yes, a full five months in advance—is a great place to start. Experts helped us compile seven simple ways to get a head start on Christmas during tank top-and-shorts weather.
Inventory and Organize Your Stash
Before you're tempted with new decorations, gifts, wrapping paper, and other holiday essentials on store shelves, take stock of your current inventory. Discard broken items or anything past its prime, and set aside what you want to use this season.
While you're at it, organize items by type and color, and untangle ornaments and lights. To make it easier to find stuff later, use clear storage containers or apply peel-and-stick labels. Start a list of items you need to replace or purchase to bring this year's holiday vision to life.
Buy Gifts During Christmas-in-July Sales
"Summer is a notoriously slow time for retail. People are more likely to spend money on experiences, like a vacation, rather than products," says consumer savings expert Courtney Neidel, assigning editor for Nerdwallet. "For that reason, retailers are eager to provide some incentive to give consumers a reason to shop, which helps explain the rise of Christmas-in-July and Black-Friday-in-July sales."
While these sales provide a good opportunity to stock up on a wide range of potential gifts, Neidel notes they're particularly beneficial for buying personal electronics. Best Buy often hosts a summer sale, and Prime Day, Amazon's mid-summer sale, excites some buyers more than Christmas.
"Prime members can shop in the luxury of their own home and watch for advance alerts of discounts on popular products like all of the Amazon electronics, such as Echo, Alexa, Kindles, and Fire tablets," says Sara Skirboll, the shopping and trends expert for RetailMeNot. But Amazon isn't the only retailer offering Christmas-in-July sales.
Skirboll says that QVC, Nordstrom, and Macy's typically offer big summer shopping sales, and Target and Walmart eagerly jump into the sales competition, too. In addition to electronics, the best categories to shop during the summer are fitness, sporting gear, travel deals, and outdoor home and garden décor.
Pick Up Host Gifts
Start collecting host gifts in the summer, too. Think lovely bottles of wine, luxury candles, elegant picture frames, wine stoppers and other barware, flower planters, and sweet mugs.
If you're feeling extra ambitious, wrap gifts in advance so they're ready to go when party invites start rolling in. Brown paper packages tied up with string (just like the song) is a classic choice. We recommend sticking a Post-it note to each wrapped gift listing its contents so you don't forget, but remember to remove it before gifting!
Start Prepping Your DIY Gifts
If you're the type who likes to give DIY gifts—home-canned jars of pickled vegetables or sweet jams, or handcrafted items like quilts, scarves, soaps, or paintings—summer is the time to embark on those crafty missions by stocking supplies. You don't have to start your projects during the dog days, but at least come up with and stick to a schedule so you're not frazzled at the last minute.
Plan Christmas Cards
If you wait until November to arrange your Christmas card family portraits, you're probably too late. Photographs require forethought: There are outfits to consider, locations to choose, and—more importantly—finding a photographer and booking the session.
If photos are in your future, factor in time to have the images processed, review the proofs, order the cards, and have them delivered. Some photographers offer Christmas-in-July sessions complete with props, but a great summer family portrait works well, too.
Whether you do photos or not, go through your addresses to ensure details are up to date and add new recipients to the list. If you're printing address or return labels, make sure you have enough.
Make Travel Arrangements
Whether your family is large or small, figuring out holiday logistics can be a headache, especially if you're all spread out. Determine when and where Christmas will be so that everyone has ample time to make travel arrangements.
With a location set, discuss scheduling and add holiday-related activities to the calendar. If you're hosting at your house, start thinking about guest room necessities. If you need a hotel or airfare, start researching and booking lodging and flights as soon as possible.
Plan Your Christmas Meals
It may seem premature to plan dishes for Christmas in the midsummer heat, but if you do, it'll make the holidays go smoother. Start with the meat (or meat alternative) and then craft holiday side dishes, desserts, appetizers, and drinks around it. It doesn't take much time to devise a menu, and you have months to tweak it if necessary.
With your menu in mind, take stock of your tableware, serving dishes, cutlery, and cookware, and then replace or add items to complete your collection. If you're trying new recipes, consider conducting a test run well in advance so you can adjust ingredients or nix a dud altogether.
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