I know that it is early to begin talking about Christmas. I personally don’t appreciate the Christmas stuff appearing on sale in mid-October. However I do think it is important to begin preparing now for the holidays, because it allows me to truly enjoy the true spirit of the season. Here are five planning tips to save you time and stress this holiday season.
1) You can begin buying gifts for your family and friends now. This will allow you the time to find a gift truly suited for each person. You can also save money by deciding what you want to buy. This way you can watch for sales. Big-ticket items often go on sale after Thanksgiving, and you will already know what you want.
2) You can purchase and begin addressing your Christmas cards now. This is one task that usually gets dropped when you just have two much on your plate. You can address just a few cards a day, and by the time Christmas rolls around you will be finished.
3) If you want to wait to purchase your gifts until closer to the holidays, you can set aside money for the gifts now. In fact I recommend saving all year long, so that you do not put everything on the credit card.
4) If you travel for the Christmas holidays you can begin looking for good deals for the tickets. Experience has taught that the closer you get to the holidays the more expensive the tickets are.
5) Take the opportunity to find some way to give to others. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas you can still brighten someone’s day. If you do not want to give during Christmas time, you can help during different times of the year as well.
No matter if you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or just a holiday spirit of giving, this time can less stressful through careful planning.