How I Stay Organized for the Holidays

This is my favorite time of the year, but with all the decorating, shopping, wrapping, and holiday parties, it’s hard to stay on top of it all and find time to enjoy the season. This year, I am determined to get everything planned and knocked out so that the holidays are full of more joy and less stress.

I started out by creating a master list on Google Sheets. I have the app on my iPhone so I can access it wherever I am. The best part is that it allows me to add and remove things as I’m out running errands. It’s a huge time-saver. So, I invite y’all to grab a glass of wine, sit back, and get ready to digest, fellow organization-obsessed friends!

To start, I sat down and wrote down everything that’s on our plate this year. This includes Christmas cards, our holiday party, gifts for loved ones, decor for the house, host and neighbor gifts, etc. I broke each of these individual bigger items down, listing out what all I needed to do in each category, setting a deadline for each, and noting where every item currently stands.

I also set up different tabs at the bottom of my spreadsheet so that I could have my Christmas card list, gift checklist, to-do’s, and party invitees all in one organized master document.

Let’s break it all down!

1. Secure your dates.

One of the first things I do at the beginning of the holiday season is secure my dates. That means we comb through our calendars and set a date for our Christmas card photo shoot, our holiday party, and any other holiday events we know in advance, including our own holiday travel back home.

Since we take our Christmas photos around the Christmas season, I use that date to work backwards to make sure that our trees are up, garland is ordered, and everything else is timed out so that our home can be all decked out for those seasonal cards. This sounds like a lot of work, but it’s really about setting a few deadlines on the fun stuff you know you’ll enjoy doing – at least partly with a mug full of eggnog and some gingerbread cookies.

2. Take inventory.

This is so crucial. If you’re anything like me, you have more than a few boxes of holiday decor and gift wrap. Taking an hour or so to go through it and note any gaps will save you time and money this holiday season. Check your bows and ribbons, your gift boxes, gift bags, and tissue especially. For me, my gift wrap supply takes a serious hit once December 25th hits, so making sure I replenish everything I went through last season is so important. This is also critical if you’re hosting a holiday party because you’ll probably want some of your gifts to be wrapped in paper that coordinates with your decor and trees.

Are you giving neighbor gifts or placing a basket of favors out at your holiday party? Make sure you have plenty of thin holiday ribbon and cellophane bags if you need them.

This is also a great time to take stock on what decorating items you’re missing. Remember that tree stand that didn’t really work so well last year? Now is the time to replace it. Go through those decorations you bought on sale two years ago that never were put up – are they really necessary or would they be better off donated?

3. Order your items early.

Holiday shipping times can be unpredictable, so it’s best to order anything you need ahead of time. A good rule of thumb is that anything that needs to be monogrammed or customized should be ordered as soon as possible, with the exception of some holiday cards. I ordered our gift tags for host, hostess, neighbor, family, and friend gifts early from Dixie Designs. I love their designs, especially those by Inslee Fariss.

I ordered our cocktail napkins, gift tag stickers, place cards, and other assorted goods from one of my favorites, Caspari. I can’t wait to show y’all how everything looks for our holiday party this year!

4. Get your lists together.

Determine who you’re buying gifts for this year, draft up your holiday party invite list, and check last year’s Christmas card list. I find it helpful to work off of last year’s Christmas card list, going through and noting those I may need updated addresses for and any new married names, as well as any new additions to the family.

A few fabulous pointers on holiday cards from my friend Diane who worked in a formal paper store: 

-Always buy a few extra invitations and Christmas cards. You never know when you’ll need to address a last-minute card or invite.

-Invest in a personalized return address stamp or look into having your cards addressed (lots of online services will do this in addition to calligraphers)

-Try two swipes of a glue stick to seal your envelopes

-Add your stamp before your mailing address to help with centering

Also, a grammar police note: here’s a great guide from Slate to follow as you’re addressing your cards. When in doubt, stick with “The Smith Family”.

5. Plan your holiday decor.

First, grab a good measuring tape and a notebook and pen. Now, it’s time to start planning out your decor. How many wreaths will you need? Are you adding garland to all of your banisters? Will you wrap your banisters or swag them? Last year, we wrapped our garland (caveat: last year was my first time working with live greenery, so it was far from perfect, but ended up pretty nonetheless!). This year, we’re doing swagged garlands secured with ribbons.

As you’re measuring how many feet of garland you’ll need, make sure you plan to add about 1.5 additional feet so you’ll have enough to wrap or decorate the newel post at the end of your staircase. Your newel post is a support column or central pole. Check out the photo below, courtesy of Wikipedia, for an illustration. The newel post that is traditionally wrapped and/or decorated is the one at the very bottom of the staircase. When in doubt, pick up a few extra feet. It’s always better to have more than you need than less!

On Christmas Trees:

I have to take this space to chat Christmas trees for a bit. I am 1000% a live tree person and always will be – unless one day we have a dog or child who is deathly allergic to Fraser fir.

As much as I want a tree that is the absolute tallest and fattest I can find, I know that scale and proportion are two hugely important things in a home. If you have a small room, or an awkward space in an open concept floor, don’t try to stuff a huge, fat tree into that space. It will just end up looking…”off”. Make sure that you leave a foot or two from the top of the tree and the ceiling. It’s best to find a gorgeous tree that fits your space proportionally and decorate it with all the trimmings and lights you can. I’m also a big supporter of the “as many lights as we can fit” method of decorating a tree. If you’re still not satisfied, get two trees if you have the space and the rooms!

When it comes to WHEN to pick out your tree…

Get your tree as soon as possible – even if you aren’t planning on putting it up until the weekend. My family has a Christmas tree farm, so we can attest that most trees are cut very early in the season and have been sitting in tree lots for weeks. In this year’s case, they’ve been cut since late October, so be sure and get your tree early. Have the tree lot cut off at least two inches from the bottom of the tree. Then, keep it in a water bucket at home until you’re ready to bring it in and set it up. Keep in mind that trees drink a lot of water, – especially in the first few days – so be prepared to water them often. Fraser firs are known for their fragrant, long-lasting needles, but sometimes we have to help them out!

6. Prep for the holiday party circuit.

It’s also helpful to go ahead and take a peek at your closet to make sure you have the proper attire. Hopefully, you’ll have been building this over the few years – or the last few months at least. Make sure that your boots are weatherproofed, your dresses and furs are cleaned, and you have the proper accessories, ladies. Now is a good time to invest in a new pair of pumps if the ones you wore through the holidays last year met the snow or were so painful you remember leaving the party an hour early because of them. I have experience with both situations and, trust me, neither are worth repeating.

If you’re hosting a holiday party this year, I’d love to send you to my holiday party planning checklist here! Here’s a peek at this year’s mini list in my master spreadsheet:

Remember that a little planning and preparation always makes things run smoother. Take advantage of the next day or two and set up a holiday spreadsheet of your own. The quicker those boxes turn yellow (in the process of doing), then green (done!), the better you’ll feel and the more time you’ll have to enjoy the warmth and joy of the season!

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