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As we prepare for the summer holidays, Christmas may be the last thing on your mind. However, the six weeks will pass in the blink of an eye. And once the kids are back to school, it will quickly feel like time is running out.
The sooner you begin your plans, the less stressful it will become. Here are some of the best ways to start getting ready for the festive season without compromising your summer enjoyment.
Start Putting Money Aside
Perhaps the most efficient way to begin planning for the festive period is to start putting money aside for it. Storing money in a bank account or a money jar can work well but is easy to dip into. Using Park Christmas Savings solutions can be a far better option that will allow you to hit your targets. In turn, this will strengthen your position once the festive period begins.
Whether the money (or vouchers) is used for festive foods, gifts, or entertainment doesn’t matter. Softening the financial blow will allow you to enjoy a far happier festive season. Better still, it will stop you from encountering ongoing financial issues that lead into 2024.
Consider Buying Some Festive Outfits Now
If you wanted to get your Christmas decorations on the cheap, you should have acted back in January. Nevertheless, it is still possible to shop out of season for your festive attire. Whether looking for outfits that can be worn on December 25th or to the work party doesn’t matter. Shopping for winter favourites, while it’s still the summer season, should help you unlock significant savings.
Likewise, it will be one less item on your checklist when the festive season finally approaches. If planning to do the same for your child’s outfits, though, you must take their growth between now and December into account. Still, it will give you a good head start.
Make Some Decorations
If you’re anything like the average household, you will already have a lot of decorations stored in the loft ready for December. Still, adding new items can become a fun part of the festive traditions. Learning to make wreaths and garlands for Christmas is an ideal solution for 2023. While you may not want to start the process immediately, it makes sense to purchase the materials now.
This way, you will have the perfect activity to complete on a rainy day. For the best results, you can actively include the kids to make it a family craft that truly feels personal to you. This will deliver far greater joy than purchased goods.
Start Planning Your Christmas Menu
The festive season offers a wonderful opportunity to delight the taste buds without guilt. It is a time for a little overindulgence as this feeds into the concept of enjoying great times with the people you love. BBC Good Food’s Christmas recipe ideas will provide valuable inspiration. But if those options don’t quite get your taste buds tingling, you can find plenty of alternatives from a range of sources.
While you won’t be ordering the ingredients just yet, you may want to talk to the supermarket or butcher about when preorders are open. This will allow you to stay on top of the situation and avoid any potential disappointment. It’s the least that your family deserves.
Book Time Off
The best thing about the festive season is spending time with your loved ones. Sadly, things aren’t quite like they were in previous generations. So, trying to sync up your calendars can be tough. If you have yet to ask your boss for certain days off, now is the time to do it. If you leave it much longer, it’s likely that your requests will be rejected due to others beating you to the punch.
Christmas Day is on a Monday this year. So, most people should find it fairly straightforward to get a minimum of four days off from the 23rd. If your job makes things difficult, offering to work over New Year may land you a suitable compromise.
Prepare The Home
OK, so you don’t have to get the decorations out just yet. Still, now is the ideal time to declutter. After all, your family is likely to receive a lot of new products over the festive period. Selling some unwanted items over the coming weeks will make room for them. Better still, it can actively help you by generating revenue to bump up your savings for the festive period.
Home preparations also include winter-proofing the home. Aside from enhancing your Christmas Day, if you’re hosting, it will improve your life throughout the winter. For added benefits, perfect your home security features too.
Complete Other Admin
The festive period can serve up a host of challenges, and the winter weather doesn’t help. Many services will be reduced during this time. So, it makes sense to book your car for a service ahead of this time. Meanwhile, a British Gas Boiler Repair is best arranged ahead of the busy schedule. Otherwise, you may struggle to arrange one nearer the time because this is the moment when problems are more frequent.
If you need to arrange travel during this time of the year, it’s best to do it early too. Ultimately, the more you get done early, the less you’ll have to contend with during the festivities. So, you’ll be able to enjoy them properly.
Organise Your Christmas Checklist
Finally, you need to get organised. Christmas is a wonderfully exciting time but it can cause a lot of stress too. There is always the risk that you will forget something. Making a list of who you need to buy gifts for can form a key step towards overcoming this issue. You also want to list the service and traditions that must be accounted for. If nothing else, this sense of control will put your mind at ease.
In truth, even if you did forget something, the impact would probably be far more negligible than you fear. Still, if you can create an organised and stress-free festive period, it will deliver plenty of advantages. You’ve got this.
