Early planners and the Super Organised

[Charrington]

Disclaimer: Yes, I do know it’s August however I’m posting this in the Christmas Forum where people discuss Christmas related matters all year round.

If you get started on Christmas organisation well in advance, could you share a timeline of tasks or any good tips?
Thanks in advance!

Ooooh The Organised Mum Method has a good one. I have adapted it a bit but basically you start in September doing a couple of things a week and by December you can put your feet up and relax (I believe). Last year was the first tune I tried it and we moved house the week before Christmas so I didn't feel the benefit, but high hopes for this year!

Following because I love everything Xmas 😂

@Nothingbuttheglory I’ve been curious to see what The Organised Mum was all about as it’s recommended a lot. I’ll have to check it out now.

@Ladymama12 I’ve always loved it too but I struggled last year for personal reasons and without my seasonal mojo it’s hard to power through and get all the things done.

My top tip is to sit down with a notebook and think about what went well last year and make notes. Don't bother doing or buying anything that was a flop.

I print a blank calendar sheet for December and meal plan each day and work out shopping lists from this. Highlight any days where you'll be eating out or needing to eat something simple/takeaway because you've got to work round an event.

If you have school age children then as soon as you know about school stuff like Christmas dinner day or jumper day make a note of them. Set a phone reminder the day before. Book any time off work for school concerts as soon as you can.

Wrap presents early. I don't wrap as I go but I do set aside time in mid December to get them done.

I use a different design of paper for each child so I don't need to label. I only label DH's presents. Stocking stuff is in tissue paper - again a different design for each child.

I also use TOMM too and I time it to end 1 December like a pp said. Obviously there a few last minute things to do but it really helps keep things stress free it's brilliant

@TheBucktoothedGirlFromLuxembourg thanks for sharing. That’s really helpful.

I had a year like that a few years back, just didn't have the motivation due to personal reasons also. Last year I started prepping in October but I genu feel this was too late. So I'm on the threads early this year to get inspired. I find getting presents for my friends and family the biggest task so I start in September usually and try to be done by Nov. I don't know if you host Xmas on ur own but asking people to bring a dish and pudding could be one less thing to think about. I visit a family member every year with a lot of people who attend we all being at least 2 or 3 things to show appreciation.
This year however I may not be going as I have a new baby and of that's the case I plan on getting my 16 year old daughter and her boyfriend to help peel, chop wash and take part I think it will be fun. I could be sooooo wrong but I won't be slaving on my own that's fir sure. 😂
I really hope you find lots of good tips

I can't claim to be organised but the last couple of years i have made some notes in my phone of things to remember- eg - nobody ever eats the Stilton/medium size turkey crown was big enough/Jackie from work unexpectedly bought me a present etc

Now that I am back from holidays there is a part of my brain that slips into Christmas mode, so if I see something when I’m out and about I buy it, stocking filler type stuff. I also listen to what my DCs are talking about for ideas for presents, eg DD mentioned today she had seen a pandora charm she liked, so I filed that piece of info for future use.

So basically not so much a timeline of things to do and when, more of a constant look out from this point on.

I have a notebook each year and I write lists and noyes

Things I want to re-buy
What not to bother with
Recipes I want to try out

Then nearer the time I'll di a shop-by-shop list .
Sainsbury
M&S
Waitrose

Days out /nights out

In September I start buying things for the Dec 1st Hamper and DD Beauty Advent ( I used to do a calendar but last year I put everything in a re-useable gift box which she really liked too)

This year I'm going to put the Cleaning Plan in there , so it doesn't all pile up at once ,

Planning makes it relaxed and saves money .

Honestly i start in january and just buy little things through the year as the ideas arise! Sales, charity shops, email reminders for later in the year for other bits i might buy but am not yet sure about. Always try to get practical stuff that can’t go wrong (mugs, art materials, clothes, cute stocking fillers etc and whatever takes my fancy in the charity shop e.g like new toys) then leave bigger bits till ds knows what he wants. Buying through the year makes it cheaper too as you can get out of season so cheaper in the sale etc.

I do a Christmas lessons learnt every year, usually in the few days in between Christmas and new year. I have a special Christmassy notebook especially for it

I note down things such as:
•What presents DC got from friends/family so I can message to say thank you for the board game or whatever
•What we/Santa got for DC, what was a hit or shouldn't have bothered with
•What presents we got for others so I know not to buy the same or similar things again
•Food and treats we liked and where we got it, what to get again next year.
•Activities or experiences we did/paid for and if they were good/bad/just ok, if we missed out on anything we want to do the next year
•what offers were on for Black Friday, if it was worth getting things if retailers had a blanket 20% off or whatever
•If I buy anything and put it away - for e.g. I know from my notes I have x4 rolls of wrapping paper, tags, ribbon etc that I got for pence in the sale last year

I've done this for the last few years after such a stressful Christmas that I just didn't enjoy because I wasn't prepared enough and vowed never again! I also have a standing order that transfers a set amount every pay day into a separate bank account. That's my Christmas fund so presents are paid for already from that pot of money.

It's a bit OTT and people tease me about my lessons learnt but I've extended it to doing a summary/lessons learnt for DC birthdays/parties and Holidays so I know better for next time and every year becomes less stressful as I'm more prepared

One thing I do each year is clear out the freezer in October, so it's nice and empty to fill with my Christmas food.
It also makes October a cheap food shop month, as my freezer is always stacked with leftover bits of everything.
It's a bit pot luck at times, but I love seeing it slowly empty ready for Christmas.

I’m starting a Christmas notebook soon, I can’t wait!
Previous years I just jotted down things on the family organiser in the kitchen, but I’ve collected too many notes now.

So far I’ve only booked the Christmas lights trail at the local NT place, as the best slots sell out quickly.

I'd quite like to marry you @NoodletheSchnoodle

I second (third? Forth?) The organised mum method. Some of it I have to spread out a bit more than she suggests - its a bit like week 1: think of gift ideas and write a list. Week 2: buy them all and wrap them, done. But overall very helpful

Organised Mum Christmas + Sam Nixon on Instagram. He does Christmas dinner prepped and frozen - all the ease of frozen veg but it's nicer than Iceland stuff. His Christmas cake recipe is great (although I don't feed mine with booze after cooking like he does).

I use the Organised Christmas from TOMM too. I've done it the last two years and it's been brilliant so definitely doing it again this year. It starts on 1st Sep but I've actually already booked our Santa visit.

Some great ideas - I need to get a notebook!

@slattern that’s a great tip to start paying attention now to anything that could be a gift hint and get a list started,

@Thereshegoesagain clearing the freezer is genius and I’m sure it helps with the Christmas finances too.

@70isaLimitNotaTarget a cleaning plan is a good idea but you’ve got me wondering if the budget could stretch to some help with that.

These are great. Keep ‘em coming!
(please)

Placemarking 🎄

@Charrington i always include enough money for someone to come and do a deep clean for me before Christmas.
However I think I have them come too early (2nd weekend in December) and the place needs doing again by Christmas.
I'm going to try and book them for sometime around the 21st this year.
If that doesn't work out, I'm going to have them come the day after the tree comes down as a Christmas present to myself.

Great thread! I might treat myself to an oven clean by a company that in my mind will work wonders!

I usually start gift buying in September as and when and love the bargain threads on here. It’s harder each year as the children are older now and stocking fillers for older lads are difficult- last year it was mainly food related so this year I need to think of different things.

im going to steal the idea of cleaning out the freezer in October - thank you @Thereshegoesagain

I have a lot of spreadsheets. Baking shopping list, Christmas and following days food shopping (the days menu is more or less the same every year as is the following days). There’s a spreadsheet for household stocking gifts which follow a formula of categories and tree presents (downsized in quantity this year and trialling yet another formula). I have an app for extended family/friends gifts. I also have a running note on my phone with what worked and didn’t in the past few years.

Sometime in January I set up the shiny new year in the gift app and household gift spreadsheet and replenish gift wrap supplies in the sales.

Then through June I’ll update the gift app/sheet with ideas if they occur. I buy stocking gifts if I happen upon any otherwise don’t think about it. I have a locked storage case for Christmas future and update app/sheet so don’t forget/misplace what I’ve bought.

I get properly started on gifts for extended family once it’s closer to this Christmas than last though not before I offer the option to stop exchanging. As I’m shopping for them I get anything I see for the household stockings. I live overseas and gifts have to be shipped to various destinations worldwide, the bulk goes surface and is out and on its way by mid September. I don’t like wrapping mid summer, it is nice when it’s gone and forgotten though.

November I start on the household. I buy all the ingredients for the Christmas pudding, cake, other baking in the 1st week and add non perishables as and when I go grocery shopping. The gift spreadsheet is updated to include any guests waking up here Christmas morning, we all get stockings. Online gifts that need shipping here are ordered. By the 2nd to 3rd week of November the supermarkets get in Christmas food and drinks and malls start putting up decorations and I can get the rest of the stocking gifts. The pudding is made on stir up Sunday and whilst that’s steaming I order online any edible gifts/ flowers for overseas and have them delivered direct. I like to be finished with 99% of household gift purchasing by the end of November. No young children in the household helps with this. I’ll also decide on the consumable gifts we exchange with friends here and bulk buy those with everyone getting the same thing.

December the enjoyable festive preparations begin. Trees just with fairy lights go up on the 1st and the gift wrap station assembled. Cake is made 1st week of December and the house/trees gradually decorated, homemade gifts made, any hosting/yule/eve menus decided, this years cheese board decided, outings/events attended/hosted, wrapping sessions with festive music and twinkly lights, all the fun stuff. I like to be ready by the 20th with only the fresh food shop to do on the 23rd.

One top tip, well a few related ones really, (a) if you weep as you go remember what you have wrapped, if you buy early and stash, remember what you have bought and finally remember that you have bought them and where you put them! Yes done all 3!

I love this thread!
I use an online free label printing site to print generic stickers with lots of love from etc... I stick these on presents and just write the name with sharpie. I also print personalised ones for our children. This saves quite a bit of time on wrapping and looks so much nicer!
I also have a notepad that I write everything down in that I buy for people, including what I spend. This is actually quite nice for nostalgic reasons also when I look back on what the children wanted in past years.
I order a Christmas shopping slot as soon as they come out for a couple of days before Christmas. I tend to host 10+ people each year so have got cooking Christmas Dinner down to an art. Cold starter such as prebought seafood things. Par boil potatoes and chop all veg the day before. Apart from the turkey I use disposal foil trays for everything to save on washing up. I ask one set of guests to bring cheese board and another to bring puddings. I then let them deal with presenting and serving these up. I personally only prepare simple veg. Cauliflower cheese is brought by someone who makes it nicely and I buy in things like fresh stuffing and red cabbage.
I buy a massive Christmas gift bag for all the children who will be present so that any presents and bits and pieces they have during the day can be put in. This helps with not losing things and sorting mess a bit in the evening.
We have quite a few children so I plan a couple of easy games for the evening when it is likely to go pear shaped when they are potentially getting tired and grumpy. Things like bingo and play your cards right. I have already bought a load of cheap prizes in the sale this summer so it costs very little.
I volunteer in a few roles and also have a couple of family birthdays in December so I mark myself as completely unavailable to volunteer from the end of November to mid January. This stops me getting run down and overwhelmed.
I have those long wrapping bags that I keep gift wrap in. One just for Christmas stuff. I buy any nice stuff I see in the January sales. Most presents are bought by December and inset aside a couple of weekend evenings for wrapping. Each family we give to has a gift bag with all presents in which makes it easy to pull them out of a cupboard when needed. I use amazon prime wrapped for long distance friends.
I have a Christmas shopping list on alexa where I just add ideas as they come to me or the children mention them.
I make a Christmas cake during October half term with whichever children are interested and whoever wants to decorate around Christmas eve does that as a fun activity.
There's probably more but these are the main things that come to mind. I don't think any of my strategies are earth shattering but they do seem to work!!

A lot has been covered so won't repeat but personally I do everything with Excel/Numbers and Reminders and Notes along with my calendar. That way I have access across all devices, can insert links and pictures, also makes sharing or copying into messages really easy. All my workbooks have a tab for the year so I can now look back on about 15 years worth of Christmas and know what was bought, what we ate, where we were etc. I have the years set up several years in advance so I add in notes for the next year depending on what went well and what did not.

Sheets I have are for menus, food shopping, plans, gifts (also inc birthdays) and cards. I also keep a running list on my phone of things to buy which will automatically add in a list of sundry items on 1st September like Advent Calendars, batteries, foil trays, sellotape type things.

I like 'automating' so set up what you can this year that will auto repeat next year and you can just tweak rather than having to do whole thing again.