Christmas, you either love it or find it stressful and anything but the happy, restful and calm time it should be!

Maybe a few new strategies to be organised and in control will help you to navigate through the weeks before the big day.

In a recent survey, 51% of women find it stressful and 34% of men too!

As a professional organiser I am all about the lists. I find a list helps you to focus and to stay on task. 

Create a present list early even if there isn’t an idea on it, you can list all the people you buy for and start to give it some thought. If you do this early enough you can research and often come up with more imaginative gifts than panic buying a few days before Christmas when the shops are manic. No one enjoys this and you often end up spending more than intended as you hadn’t planned ahead.
Write down what you intend to get or the item they have requested and tick off as you purchase. Don’t forget to ask people if they have a list, it makes life so much easier.

Also do this for the non-perishable food like pickles and crackers, chocolates and trifle sponges. I clear the kitchen food cupboards late November of any out of date items and make a Christmas shelf. I also have a Christmas area in the freezer. It makes it easier to see what you have and what you still need to get.

If you don’t have room in the cupboards simply store non-perishables in a box or a basket.

Consider using wrapping paper that is recyclable and plain brown paper fits the bill. It also means that if you have some left over it can be used for Birthday gifts during the year, you don’t need to pay over the odds for fancy Christmas wrapping. You can embellish the gifts with ribbon, pine cones, holly, little bells, and stickers and handmade labels from last year’s cards.

Wrap as soon as you have bought things so that the task is not an ominous long marathon session. If you put together stockings for the family why not use the reusable drawstring bags such as these.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09CYS683L/ref=as_sl_pc_as_ss_li_til?tag=cuttheclutt02-21&linkCode=w00&linkId=2b567a478ed8418cedb945f3978440ec&creativeASIN=B09CYS683L

They are an absolute game changer!!

Why not make some small Christmas cakes as little gifts when you make your own. They don’t perish and are really appreciated.

Start to batch cook easy meals a few weeks before the big day that can be easily microwaved if you get unexpected visitors or for the days when it has been hectic.

If you fill your own advent calendars then make this easy and different by adding things like scratch cards and promises. Or one of my favourites is to create a random act of kindness card and pop one of those in every few days. These are great for kids to get on board with the true meaning of Christmas. 

You can ask that they go and pick a toy they no longer play with and donate it to one of the good causes that make up the parcels for various organisations.

 Another lovely thing to do is to leave a book in one of the phone boxes or other places that have sprung up as book exchanges. Alternatively write a note in it about why you liked it and leave it somewhere like a café, a park bench or on a bus.

One card could be to smile at 5 people today or to compliment someone you don’t know. These make great substitutes for the little gifts that take so long to source for your calendars. Halving the sourcing of the inexpensive but time consuming task.

If you must have a super spotless house for the festive season, start now. Complete all tasks that won’t necessarily need doing again before Christmas.

Inside windows, skirting boards, high level feather dusting and your oven.

Get the laundry and ironing up to date and keep on top of it.

Sort through your coat stands and shoe storage removing any that you no longer want, use or like. This makes room for visitors to store theirs.

Prepare any guest rooms by airing them and ensuring the bedding is clean and ready to go on.

Wash all your throws.

Take a walk around and consider what can be done now that will save you the mad dash on Christmas Eve. All you should need to do is a last mop, vacuum and dust and be satisfied.

You will probably still get a little low level stress if you are the one who organises everything but I hope these suggestions help you retain the spirit of Christmas and feel more organised this year.