The holidays are an amazing time of year. Friends and family come back from away, kindness is in the air, as is the smell of fresh-baked apple pie. Despite all these great things, the holidays can become stressful and sometimes overwhelming. We’ve pulled together our favourite holiday preparedness tips to help you last till January.
Send formal invites to your holiday party. Don’t be the party planner without the party, because you weren’t quick enough on the draw. Decide a date now and get your invites out early, so you can snag prime holiday party time.
Stock up on wrapping paper. We know of a couple who does all of their gift-wrapping on Christmas Eve. It’s a tradition for them. A holiday movie, an Appetizer Party Pack from the grocery store, and gift wrap. Their cautionary tale tells of running out of gift wrap at 10 pm on Christmas Eve when everything is closed and they got stuck using birthday paper. Stock up now so you don’t end up like them.
Write out a master gift list. Everything works better with a plan, so save yourself some headache and create a spreadsheet to keep track of who gets what and how much it cost. Trust us, you’ll really appreciate this one.
Light Up Your Entrances. The holidays are a popular time for visitors to stop by, with plenty of treats in tow. Make sure your entrances are lit up well so that your holiday callers don’t trip over your front step and spill all those peanut butter balls.
Clean Up. A lot of us get into a real baking mood once we’re within a few weeks of the holidays. Before the fever hits, take some time to clean out your fridge and oven. This will also give you time to replace any staples that you have in your fridge that may have gone bad.
Inspect Your Appliances. While you’re in there cleaning, do a quick once-over of your appliances and make sure nothing is missing or broken. The holidays are even busy for appliance repairs. If there’s something wrong, you want it fixed now.
Sharpen Your Knives. We’re going to stick with the kitchen for another moment. There are few things more frustrating for a cook of any kind than a dull knife. Not only is a dull knife dangerous, but it’s also fairly useless. Sharpen your knives now so when it comes time to carve up that turkey or ham, you look like a pro and the dinner you spent so long preparing looks just as good.
Spruce Up Your Main Spaces. Decorating your home for the holidays can seem overwhelming if you stand back and try to think of how to decorate every space. Start with your main areas; Your kitchen, living room, rec room, and your main floor bathroom. From there, you can decide if you need more elsewhere.
Use Seasonal Scents. For us, there are few things that invoke memories of the holidays like smell. We love the movies and the songs, but at the end of the day, nothing gets us in the holiday spirit like a giant apple cinnamon scented candle burning away.
Rest Up. Once the holiday season is in full swing, you’re going to be busy. Work and family responsibilities are hard enough but throw in holiday parties, and shopping, and prepping and baking, and you’ve got a recipe for burnout. Self-care isn’t always resting, but around the holidays it absolutely can be.
