Nanny to Mommy

You may be thinking that discussing Christmas right now is a little too soon, but in all fairness, the way the year has gone it is soon going to be coming around once more. The issue many people find with occasions such as Christmas is the fact it can sneak up on you. Christmas costs and there is no escaping that, and even if you vow to try and take it easy each year their are gifts you might want to buy, decorating your home and that amazing feast we all look forward to on Christmas Day itself. But the problem many face is the lack of preparation for the holiday season. With that in mind, it seems the perfect time to suggest some of the ways you can begin preparing right now, to ensure you have a fabulous Christmas this year.

Christmas may seem far away, but planning early can really help you enjoy the Christmas period and the festivities rather than dread them or feel stressed about them. Planning can mean things like a present list, knowing what you want to get people or what you might need to buy. Some people like to make gifts so planning these ahead of time means you can stay one step ahead. Planning could include the Christmas dinner and maybe any events surrounding the day such as parties you want to therove, gatherings you want to have or places you want to see and things to do.

Cooking might not be on the cards for Christmas just yet but there are a few elements of the day that you can start preparing and planning for and one is the traditional Christmas cake. A Christmas cake is traditionally a fruit cake, and people can start making this weeks and months ahead because of the curing process with the fruit and alcohol. You could also look at investing in Christmas cookie stencils ahead of the festive period, buying in food for the freezer ahead of time, and even sticking up on small treats each week to spread the cost.

Christmas can really creep up on us, and before we know it we are putting up our Christmas tree and receiving cards. However, because of this, it can mean that planning to do things becomes impossible. Tickets sell out, events get booked up. But, with careful planning you can think of some great ways to spend the period and the lead up to the big day. It could be tickets to a pantomime or a Christmas inspired show, for example. Maybe you favourite location to take children to see Santa Claus. Lots of places put on Christmas events, and thinking ahead means you won’t miss out.

Finally, gifts can be a huge stress around Christmas, and while we have already discussed saving up extra money to pay for them, you could start planning what you are buying and even making some purchases now. Many stores have sales on after summer and this could provide you with the perfect opportunity to save some money on those gifts.

Let’s hope that this has you thinking about some of the ways you can start preparing for the big day.