12 Things You Should Be Doing NOW For A Stress-Free Christmas

6. Narrow Your Guest List

For those people brave enough to invite family and friends over to their homes for Christmas celebrations, we urge you to get your guest lists finalised. Having a clear cut idea of how many people are attending your festivities is integral in planning them, and should be figured out early in the process. That way you can sort out the food, beverages, and other goodies for your guests. To play it safe, give yourself 1-2 people leeway on top of your guest number.

7. Figure Out Your Christmas Menu

So, you know who will be eating your food, but do you know what they’ll be eating? Getting your Christmas menu planned well ahead of time means you can keep an eye out for ingredients on sale, both staple and fresh. It also allows you to figure out cooking times and how to best utilise your overworked oven and your fridge for chilling. That way, on the big day, everything goes off without a hitch.

8. Organise Family Activity 

Christmas can become chaotic very quickly with so many things happening, that families often exit the holiday season without having taken the time to really enjoy it. Organise yourself some quality family time by making a point to do a family activity. Something like a board game, a walk together, or a mini-trip somewhere in the week of Christmas and New Year is a great way to get out of the chaos of home, and reconnect together. The only issue is, if you don’t organise it in advance, you probably won’t get it done!

9. Clean Your House In Stages

It’s nice to welcome in the new year with a nice clean home, but that doesn’t come without some effort and organisation. The good news is, you absolutely can do it in stages. Start well before Christmas by decluttering and simplifying the spaces of your home, both public and private. Then do a big clean in the weeks leading up to Christmas, and smaller ‘top-up’ cleans to keep everything looking fresh and sparkling.

10. Empty Your Fridge Before Stocking 

We’re all guilty of loading the fridge up with a few weeks worth of shopping without taking the time to empty it out. Well, we aren’t judging you for that, but we are advising you to empty your fridge out before Christmas. When Christmas rolls around, and you’ve got way too much food on your hands, you’re going to need places to put it. Food that is expired or just sitting in jars and containers is taking up valuable space, so clear out the fridge and freezer before Santa pops in for maximum organisation.

11. Discuss Christmas ‘Rules’

An organised life is a life with rules. To keep your Christmas as organised as possible, set your family and your kids some clear Christmas rules. Setting rules for your behaviour in your kids, with some strict Christmas-related consequences, should ensure your little ones don’t go feral over the holidays. Getting onto the rules early means you’ll have less to worry about in the midst of getting everything ready, and trying to enjoy the Christmas season.

12. Set Aside Time For You

This one is often so difficult for parents and caregivers to do, but it’s a must around Christmas when there are so many expectations on you. Think of something you really enjoy, like getting a mani/pedi, having a nice meal, or getting a massage, and set aside a window of time in the lead-up to Christmas, or just after, to do that. A rested and relaxed mind is an organised one, so this is really for everyone’s benefit!

How do you make sure you’re super organised for Christmas?