Are you ready for a stress free Christmas?

Don't delete this straight away, it's important.

Photo by David Beale on Unsplash

The Marks & Spencer Christmas food magazine has landed in my hands this morning so surely it is time 👀

I’m hoping you don’t read that title/subject line and immediately go “nope - not today”. It was a risk titling this piece using the C word, as we are still obviously in September. However, this is my twelfth Christmas as a parent/adult and if I have learnt anything over the last few years, it is that preparation is key to staying sane over the festive period.

So this is a friendly and festive reminder about a few ways we can be preparing for that final chapter of the year, whilst enjoying the next few months as much as our children.

Disclaimer - I love autumn/winter, Christmas, Halloween and everything else that comes at this time of year. So all this prep work is probably my way of impatiently waiting for December to arrive. However it has its perks so please bare with me…

Things to do this month.

• Because Christmas can be very expensive (I am quite strict with budgets but it is still costly isn’t it?) now is a great time to start buying presents, cards, wrapping paper, even some food/drinks bits that will keep until December. Spread the cost.

• Yesterday I cleared out under our bed (this was also long overdue), and made space for storing all the Christmas presents and wrapping paper that will be coming over the next few months. We have three birthdays in our house between now and Christmas, so I need to be bit organised with hiding places and managing our money.

• If you haven’t done so already, start saving your vouchers from loyalty cards for Christmas presents and food shops. Also, if you can, put some money to one side for any extra Christmas costs. Stamps may require you to remortgage your house, so if you are planning on sending Christmas cards this year save some money for that. I’m in two minds - I love sending and receiving Christmas cards but everyone seems to send email ones now?

• Book events for December. Theatre trips, light shows, meeting Father Christmas and even Christmas dinner.

  Samantha Rickelton
  at North East Family Fun has shared a brilliant round up of light shows across the North East. We rang our local pub to book our table for Christmas Eve yesterday, as we are doing things a little differently this year. They happily accepted the booking, no questions asked about doing this in September. I had faffed about with a booking for my birthday to the Alnwick Light Trail and in the time I was being indecisive it had got fully booked for that date. People are on the ball, so start planning now.

Things to do in October.

• Think like a squirrel and continue to hoard - gifts, wrapping paper etc perhaps you are making your own this year with stamps? I did this a few years ago and used the children’s footprints to make reindeers on brown parcel paper. Cute!

• Still make time to enjoy the current season - autumn always seems to fly by 🍂

Things to do in November.

• Tune into the Beth Kempton Calm Christmas podcast. You won’t regret it.

• The kids may start writing their Christmas lists at the end of the month so a good time to purchase items on their list.

• Store food and drinks.

• Check sales and offers. Don’t fall into the Black Friday trap unless it is a genuine deal!

• You could even start some batch cooking. Things like Yorkshire puds (not typically Christmas meal trimmings but you have to include them right?) will keep in the freezer until needed.

Get ready to embrace December 🎄

Last few bits of shopping. Christmas food shop planning. Enjoying trips and experiences out. Parties, school plays, Father Christmas visits, baking, wrapping gifts while watching films and enjoying a well earned glass of Baileys. Phew!