How To Plan For Christmas Early
It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but with so much to do, Christmas can often cause unwanted headaches. Take the stresses out this year and plan your Christmas as early as possible so you can relax over the festive season.
Get the whole family involved in Christmas preparations. It’s a great way to make the planning easier, and it can help bring you all together. Have a look at our handy tips to make Christmas planning much easier.
Guests
Are you spending Christmas at home this year? Will you be inviting guests? If so, invite your friends and family as early as possible, before they’ve made their own plans and you’ve got nobody to spend Christmas with! Knowing how many people you need to cater for makes planning your Christmas much easier. If you’ve got more people coming round, make sure to stock up on food – you don’t want people going hungry!
Christmas Gifts
Our advice for Christmas shopping made easy? Plan. Make a list of everyone you need to buy presents for, note down their interests and hobbies and try to set a realistic budget. Try to do your Christmas shopping as early as possible, before the shops get too busy and popular gifts are out of stock. Just make sure you have enough wrapping paper for all your gifts!
Christmas Food Planning
Starting your Christmas food planning as early as possible is another great way to get ahead. You can make Christmas cakes, Christmas puddings and mincemeat weeks or months in advance. Once these are made, in the run up to Christmas all you’ll need to do is decorate your cakes and put the mincemeat into a puff pastry shell. This way, your Christmas puddings are sorted without extra fuss.
Buying Christmas food is never easy: the shops are busier than ever and your friends and family all have different food and drink preferences. Avoid the Christmas Eve rush to the supermarket and plan buying your Christmas food nice and early. If you’d rather not make your own Christmas snacks, stock up on treats at your nearest convenience store – just make sure to check the dates so they’ll last throughout the season!
Christmas Cards
Your Christmas planning should also include Christmas cards. Make sure to stock up on Christmas cards early: if you buy more than you need, save them for next year. Christmas cards are a great way to communicate with friends and family you don’t often speak to. If you want to let loved ones know what’s been going on with your family over the last year, why not send a round-robin letter.
Christmas Decorations
To truly get into the spirit of Christmas, you can’t beat Christmas decorations. Do you need to buy a tree? Are you looking for new decorations this year? Do you want outdoor and indoor decorations? If you want to save a bit of money, why not make your own decorations? Paper chains are a popular choice, and the kids will love helping out and making them. Try and make one as long as possible!
For your Christmas planning this year, stock up at your local SPAR!