3 Months ’til Christmas!
Hey there everyone!
Who else can feel the excitement starting for real?
End of September now, marking one of the most pivotal times of the year.
Summer has ended (the autumnal equinox was two days ago – Happy Fall!), kids have been back to school for a while now, our normal non-summer routines are getting back in shape and refined and moving…
…and we look ahead right around the corner and see the holiday season just about to begin!
Next month brings Halloween, with November quickly following with Thanksgiving, and then it’s December!
Walk into almost any retail store and you will see Halloween goodies and decorations in place (that’s been the case for weeks now).
What’s more, it’s also beginning to look a lot like Christmas in those same stores. Decorations, lights, trees, accessories, and more have made their appearance.
Speaking of stores, let’s talk shopping.
Specifically, number of shopping days left.
90 is the number!
Okay… tasks to focus on this month…
At this point you need to start going deep and detailed with your planning.
Begin with your shopping list.
Shopping List Creation
Grab a pen and paper (or a screen and a keyboard and a blank text document) and list everyone you think you’ll buy for this Christmas.
Do some brainstorming to come up with at least two ideas of what gift you might want to get for each person on the list.
No need to do this all in one sitting (unless you can’t help yourself). But you should plan to get this list done by the middle of October.
Once done, you’ll be ready to tackle the next step: Figuring out where to go (physical or online) to get your shopping done.
You’ll be directed and focused.
You’ll be able to complete your shopping more efficiently and likely save money in the process…
…a far cry from the alternative: A chaotic, sporadic, “shot gun” approach that has you almost mindlessly traveling all over your local area or wandering aimlessly on the web searching and buying impulsively.
So, get that gift-giving list created.
Deals Tip
Many back-to-school products, summer activity and home goods and toys have hit the clearance shelves.
You can pick up a lot of stocking stuffers right now at bargain prices.
Craft Check-In
Are you making gifts, cards, and decorations this year?
If so, if you haven’t started yet, START NOW!
You have less time than you think you do. With everything else on your plate in terms of just Christmas planning alone (on top of everything else), your crafting time may well be quite limited.
The solution?
Do a little each day.
List the handmade items you want to create. Figure out the supplies and materials you need and check what you already have on hand and what you don’t.
But what you need and create a schedule of what you need to make and by when.
Use a planner to keep track of what you’ve completed and what you still have yet to create each day and week leading up to Christmas.
Holiday Letter
If you’re writing a holiday letter this year to send out with your Christmas cards, I hope you’ve been working on it all year (as described in the previous “Months Until Christmas” countdown posts on this site).
Every month you add a summary of the previous month’s notable milestones, achievements, events, and memories.
Come November, you’ll have on file your personalized year’s worth of notes. No need to wrack your brain or hurt your head trying to remember key events from several months ago… it’s all right there in your notes!
If you haven’t kept up with this task every month, now would be a perfect time to just sit and recall and jot down those key memories and events going back to January, items and topics you want to include in your letter.
Best to do it now as opposed to November when you’ll likely feel stressed and frantic about it, making the memories that much harder to recall.
Get it all down NOW in notes form. That way, the writing of the actual letter will be easier, quicker, smoother, and more enjoyable.
Santa Status
The jolly ol’ elf himself, the Master of Holiday Merriment, has a full schedule now making the rounds to all of his workshops, checking on his staff of hard-working, toy-making elves, making sure the production lines are humming along and able to meet quotas and that his entire operation is running at peak.
It’s full steam ahead for Santa and his loyal crew between now and Christmas!
