Christmas can sneak up fast, can’t it? Between end-of-year school chaos, work parties and trying to remember where you hid the wrapping paper, December can feel overwhelming. They don’t call it the silly season for nothing. It’s the season of crowds, chaos and general Christmas craziness.
The good news is, a little planning can go a long way. Here are our best tips to get organised for Christmas so you can spend less time stressing and more time enjoying the festive fun with your family.
Lower your expectations
Christmas doesn’t have to be perfect. Forget about the scenes that you see in magazines, websites and social media (Looking at you Instagram & TikTok!) Decide what you want your family Christmas to be and take it from there.
Don’t kill yourself to create a perfect Christmas. It’s not worth the effort or the guilt if it doesn’t match expectations. Don’t worry about making Christmas perfect for your kids, just make it fun.
Put every event in your calendar
Whether you use a paper calendar, your phone or an online calendar, mark everything down. It’s a busy time of year with school and activities winding down and the holiday season gearing up with Christmas carols and Christmas parties.
This means lots of events so mark them down so you know what you’re doing and where you’re going. Also prevents the double-book.
Have a weekly planner for Christmas
Okay, yes it’s a bit Type A to have weekly tasks for Christmas but if the alternative is freaking out because I forgot to get Santa photos done early or didn’t mail out overseas Christmas presents or cards before the deadline, I’ll gladly do a list.
Check the calendar and assign a week for all the different tasks of Christmas. e.g. Writing Christmas cards, putting up the tree, doing the menu for Christmas Day, Christmas baking, Christmas craft, Santa photos, wrapping presents, etc.
Mail and delivery checklist
Postage dates sneak up every year! Check Australia Post’s Christmas delivery cut-off dates early, especially if you’re sending gifts interstate or overseas. Aim to send parcels at least two weeks before Christmas (even earlier for international mail).
Stock up on packaging supplies like tape, padded envelopes and Christmas stamps in November so you’re ready to go. Nothing says “holiday stress” like being stuck in the post office queue on Christmas Eve!
Organise your home
If you’re hosting Christmas or having guests stay with you, start getting your house organised. Start the decluttering in the guest room and do a big house clean early. If you don’t have time to clean your house, organise a cleaner for a one-off clean. Then figure out if you need new linen and pillows to spruce up the guest room.
Decorate early (and simply)
Once your home is clean and clutter-free, add some Christmas cheer! Decorating early means you can enjoy the festive atmosphere for longer and tick another big task off your list. You don’t need to go overboard; a few fairy lights, a wreath on the front door and your favourite ornaments will do the trick. Focus on one or two main areas like the living room or entryway. Pop on a Christmas playlist, get the kids to help and make it part of the fun instead of a chore.
Organise the Christmas meal
If you’re cooking at home, start planning what you’re going to eat and start collecting ingredients. Online shopping is a bonus at this time of year when the grocery stores get insane. You can also order your Christmas seafood at the Commercial Fishermen’s Co-op in Wickham or other seafood spots.
And if you’ve decided to make a few new dishes for your Christmas meal, practice them first before the day to reduce the stress of getting it right. You really don’t need the pressure of mastering a new dish especially on a day when the grocery shops are closed.
Make a list and start shopping for gifts
One way to reduce the stress of Christmas is buying less gifts (that includes your own kids as well). Make a list of the essentials of who you to have to shop for and if you want less physical gifts, choose experiences for Christmas presents.
Some extended families do Secret Santa where they draw a family member’s name and buy them a gift. I love this idea as it cuts down on the number of presents you have to buy. So much easier than trying to figure out what to get Aunty Ann for Christmas.
Also, rethink buying presents for friends. Instead splurge and organise catch ups at a spa or a fancy restaurant. That can be your gift to each other plus you get to spend time together. Win-win.
Don’t forget teacher and neighbour gifts
Teachers, coaches and neighbours often go the extra mile all year, so a small thank-you at Christmas is always appreciated. Keep it simple and thoughtful — think chocolates, a coffee voucher, or a handmade gift from the kids. If you’re stuck for ideas, check out our Teacher Gift Ideas Guide for inspiration that won’t break the bank.
Shopping when convenient
Now that you have your list, plan your shopping dates. Take advantage of extended trading hours and shopping online.I’ve been advised that there are some quieter days in December. Local shopping centres reports that they’ve noticed that the week before Christmas can be a bit slower.
They highlight 17 December and 18 December as being great days to shop as there’s still choice in the stores but not the crowds.
If you don’t mind the crowds, visit shopping centres when they have their super-extended hours. If you’re a night owl, you can usually shop until late on the days leading up to Christmas Day. Some love the Christmas Eve shopping where they wait until the very last minute and do all of their shopping on one day!
Also, choose your shopping centre wisely. I avoid the large shopping centres like Kotara and Charlestown at this time of year! The parking situation and crowds stress me out.
Instead I shop at smaller centres like Glendale City Centre. It has Woolworths, Coles, Target, Kmart, Event Cinemas and over 80 additional retailers plus lots of free parking and easy click and collect options available.
Wrap presents early
There’s nothing worse on Christmas Eve than a night of wrapping gifts. Start early or take them to shopping centres to get them wrapped. There are usually charities who will do gift wrapping in exchange for a donation.
At Glendale City Centre, volunteers will wrap your presents in exchange for a gold coin donation to the Mark Hughes Foundation.
And once they are wrapped, hide them so that little prying eyes can’t find them. Just make sure you remember where you hid them.
One year, I thought I would be smart and get a start on Christmas shopping. I purchased, wrapped and then hid the presents and then forgot where I had put them. After days of tearing the house apart, finally found them. Not recommended. Now I put a note in my phone telling me where I put them.
Keep track of your spending
It’s easy to get carried away at Christmas — one “just popping into Kmart” can turn into a trolley full of decorations you didn’t know you needed. Work out your Christmas budget early and stick to it. Try using a spreadsheet or an app to keep track of purchases. This prevents bill shock in January when the credit card statements arrive.
Compare prices online, use loyalty points or cashback offers, and consider shopping during sales events like Click Frenzy or Black Friday. If you’re planning a big family gift exchange, suggest a Kris Kringle or Secret Santa to keep costs down. Future-you (and your credit card bill) will thank you. Here’s some tips on saving money yet still having an amazing Christmas on a budget.
Say no
Yes, it’s a season of joy and good tidings and all of that crap. But it’s also a really busy season and when you’re asked to attend one more event or to do one more thing that you really don’t want to do or don’t have time for, just say no. And that’s goes for your mum as well. Just say no to her unreasonable demands. (Hope my mum doesn’t read this)
Have “Me Time”
It’s a hectic time of year so give yourself some “me time. Whether it’s having some downtime with friends, an exercise session, a pampering session or just sitting in the corner sipping some wine, set aside time for you. To use a sporting analogy, Christmas is a marathon, not a sprint. So don’t burn out early ’cause it’s a long holiday season. A stress-free Christmas starts with you. Schedule downtime, get enough sleep, and don’t forget to say no to things that drain your energy.
Enjoy some family time too
Once you have your “Me Time”, you might feel like spending time with your family. Organise a Christmas movie family night (here’s a list), make some Christmas crafts or homemade presents. (By the way, grandparents love homemade presents – the more misshapen the better. So give them the Christmas baking that turned out a bit wonky or got a bit burnt) or enjoy some local Christmas events.
Also, get your kids to help with Christmas activities to share the load, I mean share the fun. There are loads of things they can get involved with such as writing cards if they can write (scribbles totally count), decorating the tree and organising carrots for Rudolph and his friends on Christmas Eve.
Post-Christmas reset
Once the festivities wind down, pack away your decorations and label the boxes so you’ll thank yourself next year. Make a quick note of what you ran out of like wrapping paper, sticky tape, batteries and grab replacements during Boxing Day sales. A 15-minute tidy-up now means a smoother start to the new year (and no tangled lights to fight with next December!).
Hopefully, these tips will help to reduce your stress in the lead up to Christmas giving you time to concentrate on what’s really important: Family, friends and food!
Make sure that you don’t miss any of the other fun and family-friendly Christmas events in Newcastle and the Hunter, visit the Newy with Kids Guide to Christmas.