With only 12 weeks to go, there’s really no time like the present to get ready for Christmas 2023!
Summer is barely over and Hallowe’en is just around the corner, so you might think that it’s still a little early to be thinking about festive matters.
But planning is the key to any great event, and Christmas is no exception to the rule. And we’re all a bit more budget conscious these, so it’s going to be even more important to get things organised.
Here are a few simple things that you can do right now to make a gentle start on your plans for Christmas 2023.
Start your Christmas shopping lists
Hopefully you’ve been making notes throughout the year and saving links for any presents ideas that you have seen. If so, you should be feeling pretty prepared for the festive season.
If not, it’s not too late to start making plans and our Christmas gift guides and delicious Christmas recipes are a great place to start. The most important thing is to pick the planning method that works best for you!
Find yourself a cute notebook, start a Google Sheets spreadsheet, or open up your phone’s Notes app. If you see an idea for a present when you’re browsing online or stumble across a delicious recipe in a magazine, add it to your collections of notes. That way, you’ll easily be able to find it when you need it again.
Decide where you’ll celebrate Christmas
If you haven’t already decided this, you will need to make a decision on where you’ll be celebrating Christmas this year.
That might be a simple decision for some people – you might always celebrate in your own home, or it might be your tradition to travel back to your parents’ home. Other families might have a more complicated situation and there could be some delicate negotiations over the next few weeks.
But this decision will have an impact on pretty much every other part of your Christmas planning. So once you’ve made this choice, you can start planning the rest of your festivities.
Make a list for Christmas cards
If you’re planning to send Christmas cards this year, now is a great time to start making a list of all the people you want to send them to. You’ll have plenty of time to check addresses and look out for the perfect cards or even make them yourself!
Did you leave it too late to post your cards last year? If so, be sure to check our guide to the last posting dates for Christmas 2023. You could set a reminder on your phone to make sure that you send your cards in good time this year. Remember that you’ll need to buy stamps as well and to allow extra time if possible in case of any extra delays.
That’s all for this week’s list of festive tasks. See, I said that I’d ease you into Christmas planning gently, didn’t I?
Tick these jobs off your list now and you’ll be one step closer to the best Christmas possible in 2023. What are your top tips for Christmas planning?
Just the reminder I needed to start getting organised!