It’s easy to become disorganised at this time of year. One too many festive cocktails on a Friday night means the last thing you want to do on a Saturday is trawl your local Westfield. We put our (organised) heads together and posed ourselves the question – ‘What is your best stress-free Christmas tip?’
From Jane:
Instead of writing out Christmas cards, order postcards online through Vistaprint or similar. You can even get a family photo printed on the front and a generic message on the back, to save writing out fifty ‘Merry Christmas’s. If you have kids, ask them to cut up some cardboard in the shape of postcards and have them decorate the front. Hours of fun for them and thoughtful and unique cards for your friends and family!
From Nat:
Buy presents in advance. There are so many fantastic online stores now with free shipping! I also buy bulk brown wrapping paper at Officeworks instead of Christmas wrap, because it’s cheaper and you can use it for other things. Then it’s simply a matter of buying a few nice ribbons to jazz the gift up.
From Adele:
Make gift giving Kris Kringle, ie. put all family names in a hat and draw out a name, then you only need to buy one awesome gift for that person instead of lots of smaller ones. It saves time and means that you get one great gift instead of lots of socks! If you’re stuck for Kris Kringle gift ideas, hardtofind.com.au has some great ones.
So that is your Christmas prep. But what about on the day?
From Amy:
Encourage the children to make dessert. Make it a group (cousins) task to take the focus off presents and the pressure off the parents. This is your day to enjoy too, so just try to chill out and don’t worry if everything isn’t exactly perfect.
Some general guidelines?
- There’s no such thing as being too prepared. Yes, you can wrap presents in November (as long as you label them correctly).
- Keep holidays closures in mind. Well actually, write them on your calendar. This applies to everything that will close over the holidays like schools. If you have your own business, remember suppliers close down too, so plan your orders in advance.
- Buy your 2016 diary or planner now! Or you could add it to your Christmas Wish List, but if you’re anything like me, you like to buy your own.
Want to share your best organised Christmas tip? Leave a comment below!