With just 6 weeks to go until Christmas Day 2023, everything starts to get a bit more hectic. But don’t worry, my tips will make preparing for Christmas simple!
Six weeks to go, and the pace of preparations will start to speed up from here. Before long, Christmas parties and dinners will probably start to take up some of your time. And if you have children at school, you’ll soon be caught up in the whirlwind of Christmas plays and shopping evenings.
So the second half of November presents a good opportunity to get as much preparation out of the way before things get really hectic.
If you’ve been keeping up with my weekly tips, you’ll hopefully be seeing your Christmas celebrations starting to come together. Planning is a big part of making any event a success, so keep going and you’ll be on track for a fabulous Christmas.
Here are this week’s tasks to help you get ready for Christmas 2023:
Freeze a casserole
Hopefully you’ve managed to clear some space in your freezer over the last few weeks, because now it’s time to start refilling it ready for Christmas.
As well as stocking up with frozen food from the supermarkets, you can also freeze home-made food to make the Christmas period less stressful. Six weeks out is a good time to start doing this, so we’ll be sharing some ideas over the next few weeks.
One great tip is to make and freeze a casserole or two. These can be useful either as a stress-free family meal when you’re busy shopping and wrapping, or as an emergency dinner if unexpected guests drop in.
Choose something hearty and warming like a rich Beef and Guinness casserole or a Spicy Pork Goulash.
Write your Christmas Cards
The last posting dates for Christmas are starting to get closer now, so this week is a good opportunity to write your Christmas cards.
So put on some Christmas music or one of your favourite Christmas films, fix yourself a drink and some snacks, and spend an evening writing your cards. It’s a lovely way to start building the festive atmosphere and an important task to tick off your list.
But if you’re not sending Christmas cards to cut down on waste, you could spend the time composing an email to send out to friends and family instead. Sending Christmas wishes this way is becoming much more popular these days and is just as thoughtful.
Christmas Gift Shopping and Wrapping
Now, some people (who are more organised than me) have already finished their Christmas shopping by now.
But for most of us, this is the time when most of the Christmas gift shopping happens. And of course, that also means most of the Christmas gift wrapping. Leaving it until the last minute can result in a back-breaking, late night wrapping session, so do try and wrap your gifts as you go along.
If you can leave your wrapping supplies out and ready to use, you could wrap each present as you buy it. But if you’re having to keep things under wraps (pun intended), it might be easier to do one wrapping session each week or so. That way, you don’t have to keep on stashing away your Christmas wrapping paper, tape and ribbons after you’ve finished each present.
And don’t forget where you’ve hidden your presents, because that can make Christmas Eve very stressful. Yes, I’ve been there…!
Plan Black Friday shopping
Black Friday and Cyber Monday can be an opportunity to get some great deals on Christmas presents. This year, Black Friday falls on Friday 24th November 2022 and Cyber Monday is on Monday 27th November 2022.
But a lot of deals are starting to show up ahead of time, so if you’re going to be making a big purchase or want to plan your shopping around the best offers, start doing your research this week.
Don’t forget to relax…
Things are going to be hectic over the next few weeks but it will all be worth it on the day.
But don’t forget to take some time to relax and do something for yourself. Sarah Morgan’s new Christmas novel The Christmas Book Club is a perfect escape from the pre-Christmas rush – click here to read our review.
And there’s still time to enter my fabulous Christmas giveaways. You could be in with the chance of winning a Lindt Chocolate Advent Calendar or a gorgeous Jana Reinhardt silver necklace. Why not enter them both – you could be our lucky winner!
Tick these jobs off your list this week and you’ll be another step closer to a wonderful Christmas 2023. And remember to come back again for more tips and things to do next Monday!