With a little extra planning, the holiday season can become a time to look
forward to good music, memorable gatherings of friends and family, beautiful
decorations, special programs, and giving from your heart.
The Plan is your guide to turn the most stressful time of the year into seasonal success year after year. It’s your answer to finding peace and calm in the midst of a busy and complicated December. It’s a way to fine-tune on paper the many items you lie awake worrying about and trying to remember to do.
For many years I had no plan and was stressed out and overwhelmed by the whole season year after year. It put knots in my stomach and kept me awake at night . . . until I figured out “The Plan” by looking at my calendar. Now it has been time-tested and proven valuable not only for me but for hundreds of people just like you.
How Many Weeks until Christmas?
Many people, including me, have used Thanksgiving to trigger serious action steps for Christmas. It just didn’t seem right to commercialize Christmas by purchasing gifts before Thanksgiving. But that’s exactly the problem, isn’t it? Waiting until after Thanksgiving does commercialize the holidays by putting us smack dab in the middle of a chaotic mall with throngs of frenzied shoppers.
I also discovered that Thanksgiving is a “floating holiday.” Some years it falls four-and-a-half weeks before Christmas, and other years it comes as late as three-and-a-half weeks before Christmas. That’s why you hear people say, “It seems like Christmas came early this year.” Sometimes it does, since Thanksgiving is a floating holiday.
Discovery #1: The Best Date to Start
My personal turning point came when I stumbled onto a valuable insight. Every year, one particular event occurs exactly eight weeks before Christmas–it’s Halloween. If you kick off your holiday plan the next day, on November 1, every year you will have eight weeks from October 31 until December 25 as a structure in which to easily organize and plan your preparations. Even if you don’t begin exactly on November 1, you have a calendar structure in which to note where you are whenever you do begin.
Discovery #2: Stress in the Last Three Weeks
My second turning point came when I noticed that most holiday events come in the last three weeks before Christmas. Children’s school parties, the neighborhood cookie exchange, church events, civic symphony concerts, friends’ open houses, and an office potluck luncheon the last day before vacation. They all typically fall into those last three frantic weeks before Christmas!
No wonder we’re stressed out trying to buy gifts and participate in the busiest social sea-son of the year. All these things are good, but it’s really stressful to be listening to the “Hallelujah!” chorus while thinking about how many things you can pick up on the way home and still get online to purchase gifts with “expedited shipping” costs.
What’s the solution? Start all the gift shopping and card sending before the holiday events begin. It’s the easiest way to stay sane and not be frustrated with the whole process. (But we also have a few tips to help in case you’re a bit behind this year.)
Discovery #3: Only One Time to Simplify Decorations
My third discovery came when I tried to simplify my holiday decorations after the holidays. It’s just too much to put up, I mused.
But alas, I found even charities would not accept holiday decorations after December 25. They had nowhere to store them until next year. That was the next discovery–if I store holiday decorations for eleven months of the year, then why do I hesitate about putting them up?
A recent poll showed that most people take down their holiday decorations the weekend after New Year’s Day. Since that’s the case, when do we need to put them up in order to enjoy them for at least four to six weeks, especially when they are taking up valuable space for eleven months of the year?
The answer? Pick a date (or weekend) to put up your decorations early in December so they can be enjoyed longer. Don’t wait until the last minute; you’ll be happy to have them done sooner.
Solution? Banish Procrastination
Once you know that you can organize your holidays whether you have eight weeks, four weeks, or one week left before Christmas, it’s time to start. Plan on paper, work your plan, and adjust when things get off course. It’s easier to get things done a little each day, rather than under the pressure of the last minute. You save money, you save time, and you enjoy peace of mind with a plan in place. Merry Christmas to one and all who take the challenge to turn seasonal stress into regular success!
By the way, can you get too organized for the holidays? I doubt it, but let me know if you do! I’d love to hear your suggestions and ideas about getting organized or about celebrating Christmas. Just visit me at www.OrganizingPro.com.