It’s December 10th! If you have been following this blog for a while, you might have an incling that I like to be able to pause and enjoy the holidays without the pressure of each event or gathering. Especially for the 24th and 25th.

As such, I like to have everything done by the 15th of December.

So we have 5 days, people!

Think ahead about meals or snacks you may want to eat or make over the holidays and buy ahead anything that you can or make as much ahead as you can. You can also think ahead about your grocery needs. Plan a grocery list so that it’s easy to pop out to the store to get stuff for a specific recipe or event if the items won’t last from now until then.

Write out those shopping lists, order as many things as you can, head into the mall, or grab gifts from other stores.

Send out your Christmas cards if you still snail mail them. Or, take a picture of the family and post it to your social media for everyone to see it.

And, don’t underestimate your wrapping time! You can take a shortcut by putting some gifts into gift bags instead of actually wrapping them if you need to!

Also, don’t forget the importance of wardrobe planning for any upcoming events. Try on clothes and shoes. Mix and match and see what you can come up with. Plan for indoor events or snowfilled cold outdoor events.

Finally, get into the Christmas spirit and get that house decorated!! Set up the tree! Hang the lights! Crank the holiday tunes! Watch those holiday movies!

Use the rest of this week to do the planning or get cracking on your shopping. Use the weekend to hit up the stores and do some meal prep! Pick a holiday movie to watch while you wrap and keep those holiday tunes going all day long!

You can still be ready by the 15th! That way, you really can sit and enjoy the magic of the season by slowing life down. Really be present and soak in the time you spend hanging out with friends and family, knowing that you have everything else ready!

Thanks for coming home!