It’s almost that time of year where we’re all busy and have various things to attend. For me, that starts in November. The only way I can accomplish everything and not feel overwhelmed is by making lists. Seriously, lists make everything doable for me.
Below are some of the things I make lists for.
Events
Before I get started on anything, I check out what events I need to go to. I also see if there are things I need to be at multiple days. With a family as big as mine, we sometimes have to have celebrations days after the holidays, and sometimes even months.
Food
The next thing I figure out is if I need to cook for any of the holiday gatherings. If there is a time when I need to attend two things in one day, I’ll decide if both will get a more complicated dish, or if it’s going to be something that’s easily baked or bought. Sometimes, depending on what kind of time I have, I’ll just bring drinks.
What I plan for with cooking:
- Recipes
- Ingredients I’ll need for each recipe.
- The date I need the ingredients by.
- How long the recipe takes, and when I’ll need to start cooking.
Decor
This is something I don’t generally have to handle. We tend to go to someone’s house rather than host. But in the off chance that we do host, these are some of the things I add to the list. Basically all the normal party stuff.
- Tablecloths
- Dishes
- Tables & Chairs
- Cups
- Silverware
Gifts
I generally buy gifts throughout the year and keep a running list of what I’ve gotten. But there are other times I’m not exactly prepared, like this year.
- A list of people I need to buy for
- Also, what they are into and like
- If they are readers, it’s a great time to grab some personalized books for them!
- Also, what they are into and like
- Any gifts I’ve already bought will be put under their name.
- Gifts I need to purchase
- Gift bags I need to buy and wrapping paper.
And that’s pretty much it for my prep. There are some gatherings where I’m asked to make the same thing every year, so the food planning doesn’t take too long. But this year, I haven’t gotten any gifts yet. I need to get on that ASAP. Most years I’m done buying before November, but this isn’t that year.
I’m also usually writing during November which also adds into my planning. I need to remember to take certain days off because I know I won’t get any writing done. But I have to make sure I’m hitting my goals on the days I do actually get to write.
Let me know if you have any tips to prep for the holidays!