Planning for a Stress-Free Christmas & Creating Your Preparation Checklist

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I completely realize that we haven’t had Thanksgiving yet. However, it’s that time of year to start thinking about, and ultimately planning for, the Christmas season. Don’t roll your eyes at me though. I’m not saying you should turn on the Christmas music just yet. We’re only planning for the season right now. And that is why I want to share my Christmas Preparation Checklist with you and encourage you to create a list of your own.

Decide now that you will use your time wisely, so that you can actually appreciate the deeper meaning behind all of the hustle and bustle. The Christmas season does not have to be all chaos and no joy. It was never meant to be a time of stress but rather a time of reflection, celebration, and tradition.

Why You Should Create a Christmas Preparation Checklist

Confession – I am a list addict. I make lists for everything…and I mean everything! Yet it never dawned on me until a few years ago to make a comprehensive list of all the things I need to accomplish before Christmas.

Sure, I’ve created lists for gift-giving, lists for Christmas card recipients, grocery lists to bake holiday goodies, and the list (of lists) goes on…but I had never taken time to step back, look at the big picture, and actually map out a game plan before the holiday rush begins.

I am a firm believer that you get more done when you plan your time in advance. When you finally have a chance to get something done, you don’t want to spin in circles and accomplish nothing. To prevent that unproductive dizziness trap, be inspired to make one comprehensive list of all your holiday tasks – essentially a Christmas Preparation Checklist.

Nobody’s list looks the same because we all have different traditions, different functions to attend, different budgets, and different priorities. However, if you need some inspiration for a starting point, I’m including my Christmas Preparation Checklist below and as a printable PDF.

I should note too that this list is only a plan, not a contract, and that’s important.

And one of the biggest benefits of taking the time to create this Christmas Preparation Checklist is that you can re-use it year after year with only minor updates! You won’t have to reinvent the wheel, and the old list might even remind you of some things that would have otherwise slipped your mind.

One last note before we dive in to the list…you will notice that I have suggested completing most of these tasks throughout November and early December. Though it may seem overwhelming to start so early, getting a head start on your list will allow you more time to enjoy family, gatherings, and traditions as it gets closer to Christmas day.

Christmas Preparation Checklist:

1. Take family pictures for your Christmas card or figure out what picture(s) you plan to use from all the pictures you took this year (early-mid October).

I say early October for this one for a few reasons. Speaking from experience a few years ago, we nearly missed out on taking pictures in the beautiful fall foliage because I procrastinated too long. Also, if you’re going to hire a photographer, you need to get on their calendar a few months in advance. And please accept my apologies for posting this in early November and then suggesting something you should have already done! Oops.

2. Create Christmas budget and shopping list (early November). 

My husband and I only started doing this a few years ago, but it has been incredibly helpful for keeping up with who we have bought gifts for and how much we have spent. It also provides a place for jotting down gift ideas. We also included non-gift expenses such as Christmas cards, stamps, supplies for hosting a party, Christmas decorations, and unexpected expenses.

You may find this exercise to be a bit eye-opening if you aren’t someone who watches your budget closely. These Christmas-related expenses add up quicker than we realize sometimes, but if you allocate your money ahead of time, it will go farther. I don’t understand why this principle works so well, but it absolutely does!

3. Design and order Christmas cards (if planning to do a photo card) (late October -early November).

I suggest doing this after you’ve created your budget, so you know how much you can spend on Christmas cards. Make sure you shop around to see which website is offering the best promotion. If you want to use holiday-themed postage stamps, get them early in the season. The best way to avoid the crowd at your local post office is to order them online at usps.com. If you’re not sure how many Christmas cards you need to order, you may need to move up #5 on your checklist.

4. Put up outside Christmas lights and decorations (early November).

We live in Minnesota, and we only recently embraced this concept of putting up the Christmas lights so early. We used to make fun of people when we first moved here because we thought it was so ridiculous (and against the rules in my book) to put them up so early. And then winter arrived, and we experienced a “real” winter for the first time ever, and then we realized those people weren’t idiots.

5. Update mailing addresses for Christmas card recipients (early November) and send them out (late November).

I use an Excel spreadsheet to store my mailing and email addresses for friends and family. Typically in November, I will email everyone on my list to ask if anyone has moved within the last year, and if so, request that they send me their new address. Doing this bit of leg work on the front end is a great preventative measure for keeping “return to sender” mail at a minimum and avoiding multiple trips to the post office. This task will also help you figure out how many Christmas cards you’re going to need to order.

As for sending them out, we have started making it a tradition to set up our Christmas card assembly line with our kids the day after Thanksgiving. We put Christmas music on, and it helps to kick off the Christmas season. Involving the kids makes the process so much more fun and special. Plus, now that they’re getting older, they legitimately help the process to go faster.

6. Create a Christmas Calendar for the month of December (and possibly November too), and schedule all your Christmas events and tasks in one place (mid-late November).

You can print out a fun like this one to put on the refrigerator, so your kids can always see what is coming up and when.

7. Shop for Christmas gifts, and gather up any previously purchased gifts from earlier in the year. (mid November)

Designate a gift area in your house where you will store all the gifts before wrapping them, or else order on Amazon and skip the wrapping step!

8. Put up inside Christmas decorations, especially the Christmas tree! (late November)

You may have family traditions already in place that designate when this happens, but if not, make sure you clear some space in your schedule to do this. I find that listening to Christmas music and putting up decorations is one of the best ways to get me in the holiday spirit, which admittedly isn’t very hard because I LOVE Christmas!

9. Wrap gifts (ongoing, as needed).

Depending on your personality, you might want to wrap a few gifts every day or you may prefer a marathon session. Either way, plan some time for it, so it doesn’t sneak up on you (i.e. staying up until 3 a.m. on Christmas morning). And don’t forget that little family members can often help with this task. I used to love helping my mom wrap gifts, even though all I did when I was young was tear off tape and hand it to her.

10. Mail packages to family members you won’t get to see in person. (early December, or as early as possible).

Remember to include shipping costs in your budget. If you’d rather not have to mail packages yourself, consider signing up for a free trial of Amazon Prime. Free shipping and two-day Prime shipping sure does come in handy at Christmastime, especially if you waited a little too long to start shopping!

11. Set aside time to bake goodies for neighbors, friends, and of course, Santa! (early-mid December)

To save time, bake in bulk rather than countless mini baking sessions. And if you have kids, enlist their help.  This is a treasured time. I always loved baking with my mom and grandmother, and now I have the pleasure of being on the other side, baking goodies as a mom with kids.

12. Make time for family traditions or start new ones.

Our kids are pretty young, so we are still building our family traditions so-to-speak, but I am really looking forward to spending time and making memories this year as our first Christmas as a family of six.

13. Get a birthday gift for Jesus! (mid December at latest)

In our family, we always get Jesus a birthday “gift”, since it’s His birth we’re celebrating after all! You can think outside the box on this one, but if you need some ideas, here are a few to get the wheels turning:

• adopt a child through World Vision or other similar agency
• purchase a gift in the World Vision Gift Catalog that they put together at Christmas
• donate to a charity that is particularly meaningful to you or your family
• Operation Christmas Child – put together a shoebox to send to a child in need or volunteer at one of the OCC processing facilities
• donate food to your local food shelter or participate in a fill the backpack-type of program
• volunteer your time at a homeless shelter, food bank, or other similar organization
• volunteer as a family and pack meals for Feed My Starving Children

A Final Word on Preparing for Christmas

A list like this may seem overwhelming to some and exciting to others, but I think the most important thing we can do is remember to take time to enjoy the season. It only comes once a year. Enjoy these tasks, and remember why we’re celebrating in the first place. I’m pretty sure that God doesn’t want us running around, stressed out, and just trying to “get through” another holiday season. Christmas should be about celebrating Jesus’ birth, spending time with family, and giving to those less fortunate than ourselves.

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