15 Steps To Help You Prepare For Christmas
11th Dec 2024
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! But it can also be one of the most stressful times of the year… While everyone else is getting excited about the festivities, you might be starting to feel the pressure to create the perfect Christmas Day – buying the best gifts, entertaining guests, and double-checking that you have all the ingredients needed to make everyone’s individually requested sides for Christmas dinner.
Relax, we’ve got you covered with our countdown to Christmas list, to help you stay organised and feel more prepared. Meaning you can kick back, have fun, and enjoy the celebrations and a stress-free Christmas.
Three Weeks to Go
1. Declutter & Clean
If you haven’t gotten around to decluttering your home yet, now’s a good time to start! Do this right at the beginning of the month before you start any seasonal decorating, so any tidying that needs to be done later in the month can be tackled quickly.
Start by focusing on the areas of your home that are going to be used the most, like the living room, kitchen and dining room, and bedrooms if you’re having guests over. Once you’ve decluttered and tidied, go ahead and give it a thorough clean. This will help give it that extra freshness and reset needed for when you’re ready to put up your Christmas tree and other decorations.
Related : Christmas Home Organisation
2. Tis’ The Season Of Giving
Now that you’ve had a thorough rummage through your belongings, you should have an idea of what you want to keep and what’s worth getting rid of. Spend some time with the kids going through their toys too to help them decide which ones they still use and which they’ve outgrown. These can then be donated to charities so they can be reused and re-loved.
It’s also the last chance to get involved in most seasonal charity projects and appeals, so have a look at what your local and national charities are doing and see if you can help in any way.
3. O Christmas Tree
Did you know that following tradition, Christmas trees should be put up at the beginning of Advent, which is the fourth Sunday before Christmas? However, there aren’t any strict rules. In the Victorian period, which was the start of the popularity of the Christmas tree in England, the tree wasn’t usually put up until the 22nd, the 23rd or Christmas Eve.
Nowadays, most Brits put their tree up on the 1st of December or the 2nd week of the month – some even put them up as early as the beginning of November!
The only other decision before decorating is what kind of Christmas tree to go for. We love either renting a Christmas tree or getting one which comes delivered in its own pot. Then you have a tree you can send back or put in the garden, that grows with you and your family each year.
4. Last Few Presents
Most people either fall into the, ‘presents all sorted and wrapped by July,’ or ‘panic buying in December.’ If you fall into the latter camp (like me), you still have plenty of time to nab those last few presents. Order online or head down to your local high street or Christmas market if you’re in need of some inspiration.
Make sure you also get everything you need to prepare those presents, such as recycled wrapping paper and ribbon. You can also get started with writing out your cards now, so you can take the time to make sure that you haven’t missed anyone.
Top tip: Stock up on batteries if you know there’ll be a few gadgets and toys opened on Christmas day!
Related : Small Homely Gift Ideas For All The Family
5. Christmas Crafts & Decorations
Make your Christmas even more memorable and try some fun crafting activities with your loved ones. Invoke Scandinavian (aka Scandi) design, which focuses on simplicity and the use of a natural palette and materials. Use foraged items like pinecones that you can gather from your local woodland walk, which could be hung up using festive red ribbon. Or pick bunches of holly and autumnal leaves to feature on a homemade wreath.
Relive your childhood memories by making paper snowflakes and looped hanging garlands. Or for a more traditional touch, whip up some stained-glass biscuits to hang on the tree. Just remember to make some fresh ones for Christmas, as they’ll last just a couple of days on the tree – if they even make it that long!
Set up your family’s own craft space with a Hobbi Work Table or Hobbi Peg Board with Ribbon Storage – both also fantastic gift ideas for an arts & crafts enthusiast.
Two Weeks to Go
6. Organise Other Rooms
So, all the main rooms should be mostly clean, organised and decorated with festive furnishings. But make sure you don’t neglect other rooms, such as bedrooms, bathrooms, utility rooms and hallways, and give them a bit of attention too, even if it’s just a little tidy up.
If you feel like you want to update some rooms with new furniture or storage pieces then have a look now, if you haven’t already, to have these delivered and arranged in the room before Christmas. You could fully embrace the Scandi look with our Hygge range.
Relate : Hygge Heroes
7. Party Planning
Whether you’re in charge of hosting a Christmas party this year with a selection of nibbles and a full 3-course meal, or you’re just having a smaller gathering with a few close ones on Christmas day, it’s a good idea to plan the day ahead.
Make a list of all the ingredients and items you need, so you can order them in advance or ask your guests to bring in their favourite dishes. This will help you to stay on top of things and ensure that everything is ready on the day.
Related : Christmas Party Wear
8. Order Christmas Dinner
If you’re planning to get your food shop delivered, pick a day and time that’s easy for you. And make sure you book the centrepiece ingredient in advance (if you haven’t already) – whether it’s traditional turkey, salmon, or a nut roast. Delivery spots fill up fast, so don’t wait until the last minute.
And before you order, look at what’s in your cupboards. You don’t want to be doubling up on items you already have, like spices and seasonings.
9. Mail Your Cards & Presents
Have all your cards written up and gifts to be sent all packaged and ready to go, so you can pop down to the Post Office or arrange items to be sent with a courier. Most delivery services, such as Royal Mail, are offering guaranteed pre-Christmas delivery from at least a week before Christmas Day, but to ensure your cards and gifts don’t get caught in any delays, it’s always better to send them sooner rather than later.
10. Chairs & Crockery
We’ve all been in the situation where we’re ready to tuck into the long-awaited dinner and realise that there aren’t enough seats around the table. Then you’re tasked to hunt down and find some extra chairs from other rooms, resulting in the use of awkward seating like desk chairs and camping stools.
Before the big day arrives, make sure you check you have enough chairs for everyone to sit around the dining table comfortably. You don’t need to invest into buying new matching fancy dining chairs either. If you have folding deck chairs from the summer, bring them out and get them ready for the feast. And it also wouldn’t hurt to have a check on any stored special Christmas crockery and cutlery, to make sure they’re all in good nick!
Make sure you have everything you need for the dinner table. Then all you need to think about is how you’ll be decorating it!
One Week to Go
11. Enjoying Festivities & Extras
The first Saturday of Christmas half-term means you’ll hopefully be out and about, enjoying any local festive events, visiting the Christmas markets or going to the pantomime. There is so much to do and enjoy that it can get trickier to find the time to do the day-to-day jobs, never mind doing any last-minute tasks before the big day.
Aim to have any remaining tasks for this week to be smaller or fun additions. Like when you have the time at home, hang up your Christmas stockings (if you haven’t already) and add other decorations like candles and festive cushions to enhance the cosiness.
Related : Sprinkling The Comfort And Joy This Christmas
12. Prepare Guest Rooms
You should hopefully be aware of any guests that you may have planning to stay over, although you may have a surprise visitor so get the spare rooms ready with fresh bedding, which could be seasonally themed. And don’t forget to provide towels and a place for them to store their clothes, like a Clothing Rail or Hanging Rail. To make their stay even more enjoyable, you could even provide some treats like biscuits and shortbreads.
13. Last-Minute Ingredients & Food Prep
Not long before Christmas, so check the cupboards and check the fridge and buy any ingredients which you may be missing or running out of – whether those are snacks you’ve missed or groceries you’ve used up.
Whilst everyone loves the Christmas dinner, it can tricky working out timings and balancing everything. Cook or prep anything that you can in advance, such as chopping and parboiling the vegetables or slicing up the cheeses for the after-dinner cheeseboard, so you spend less time at the cooker and more time with your family.
14. Planning Games & Activities
We all plan for the morning of Christmas, with gift-giving and unwrapping followed by Christmas dinner. But what about after? Traditional games such as charades and board games, or an interactive video games and festive-themed quiz are all fantastic ways to entertain guests and have a memorable experience. Ask guests to bring in their favourite board games in for everyone to try out!
15. Wrapping Up
Christmas Eve is the last opportunity for any late present wrapping and for setting the table with a centrepiece, plates and cutlery. You could also add any finishing touches to the main rooms or any bedrooms that will be hosting guests.
Then get involved in your family Christmas Eve tradition or make a new one own, such as getting to choose and open one present early or putting out milk and cookies for Santa Claus – and don’t forget a carrot for the reindeer!
Add extra storage for guests using Clothes Rails or Hanging Rails – perfect for adding fairy lights too for that extra festive touch!
Organising Christmas can be quite a daunting task. When you’re in charge, you’ll find that there’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to create the magical day that we all know and love. But with a little bit of planning and thinking ahead, you can have a fun-filled and merry Christmas Day without the unnecessary stress.