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Getting a Holiday Head Start

If you are or ever have been plagued by consumer debt, I can nearly guarantee that revolving expenses related to Christmas have contributed greatly to that miserable situation.

The problem? Procrastination. Face it, when it comes to Christmas, the longer you wait, the more you’ll spend. The opposite is also true. The sooner you get started, the less you’ll spend.

Everyone procrastinates in some area. And some people procrastinate about everything. Why do we do it?

We feel overwhelmed. The holiday expectations we place on ourselves, plus those that come from our families, the community, and even the church, can be so great that we feel paralyzed. So we do nothing until the only choice we think we have is to spend as much money as it takes to get by.

We overestimate how much time we need. The task appears to be so overwhelming that we assume it will take forever. So rather than doing even a little bit, we do nothing.

We overestimate how much time we have. From where we sit during the year, Christmas seems so far away. We tell ourselves we have plenty of time.

We overestimate our abilities. If we believe we can finish a task in three hours, we put it off until only three hours remain. That leaves no margin, no room for error—no allowance for the law of life that says things rarely go as planned.

We have to do it perfectly. Experts tell us that at the root of procrastination is perfectionism. Because we feel we have to do everything perfectly—and fear we may not—we do nothing rather than run the risk of failing.

We say we work better under pressure. Waiting until the last minute can provide quite an adrenaline rush. We believe we cannot operate without that creative surge, and so we sit back and wait for it to happen.

The way to deal with procrastination is to identify why you do it. As it relates specifically to the topic of Christmas, ask yourself:

What price have I paid in the past for the delay?

Do I really want to pay that price, or even more, again this year?

If the answer to the last question is yes, drop everything and get to the beach. You have lots of time; you don’t need to be thinking about the holidays yet.

If, on the other hand, you are not willing to go into debt, there are simple things you can do to stop procrastinating.

Get started. Do something to get moving. Once you are in motion, it will be easier to keep going.

Write it down. Reduce your plans to paper. Seeing things in black and white eliminates the unknown and provides a realistic playing field. Set reasonable limits both in time and in money.

Work with the time you have. Make a simple time line, then break the project down into small, manageable parts. Even five minutes is enough time to get something done when you have a plan.

Set a series of small deadlines. As an example, give yourself a date one week from today to have your gift list written. Share your deadlines with someone who will keep you accountable.

Find the simpler way. To minimize the powerful emotions of the season, determine ways you can reasonably scale back and simplify. Make room in your holiday plans for relaxation and enjoyment.

Be opportunistic. Whether it’s picking up shells along the shore to adorn a picture frame or finding a bargain collectible at a tag sale during your summer vacation, over the next few months or weeks many opportunities will present themselves, so take full advantage.

Plan now. The problem for most of us comes down to a combination of not planning and not thinking about the financial impact of holiday spending. It’s easier not to. It’s just too overwhelming. Besides, who can get into a holiday mood in the heat of summer?

Have you ever thought that the very reason you don’t want to think about Christmas now may be the best reason you should? While you are not involved emotionally is the time you can think the most rationally. You’re not dealing with holiday sights and sounds that render you defenseless. That makes this the best time to get a grip on this year’s holiday spending.

Be realistic. A big part of the problem is that the December holidays aren’t just about gifts. There are decorations, holiday clothes, parties and trips, special concerts and plays, postage for cards and parcels, and, of course, all that food. The obvious solution is not to spend a lot of money on any of these things. Think about alternative ways to make the holidays happy.

Shop early. One way to trim holiday expenses is to start gift shopping early and to make use of sales and specials throughout the year. Perhaps you can buy one or two gifts a month starting now. Just make sure you keep track of what you’ve purchased, for whom you have purchased it, and where it’s hidden.

Stay alert. There are many things you can do throughout the year that will require very little time and little, if any, money, but these tiny efforts will multiply come Christmas.

Combine holidays. Think about how many holidays share the colors and symbols that can be incorporated into Christmas. Valentine’s Day offers hearts of every size and material, red candies, red paper goods and wrapping paper, and red and white candles. St. Patrick’s Day brings an array of everything in the color green: green candles, green paper goods, green ribbon and papers. Easter brings out loads of baskets and big plastic eggs that can be used for unusual and unique gift presentations. Thanksgiving is the time to pick up gourds, small pumpkins, and other cheap accessories that can be painted and included in wreaths, garlands, and gift wrapping. Make sure you’re thinking Christmas as you check out those day-after-the-holiday, near-giveaway prices.

Shop on vacations. What better time to pick up all kinds of things you’ll be able to use at Christmas than when you’re away from your usual surroundings? Seashells make wonderful additions to packages, wreaths, and garlands. Museum gift shops often offer low-cost and unusual items that will make wonderful gifts and decorations. You’re not under pressure here; just keep your eyes open and your brain in gear.

Visit thrift shops and flea markets. As you visit these shops and events during the year, watch out for small pieces of antique lace, doilies, buttons, buckles, and so on. Use them to make a gorgeous Victorian tree, wreath, or garland. Framed pages from old children’s books can be a wonderful gift for a new baby’s nursery.

Reuse old toys. Anything vintage of the toy or stuffed animal nature can make wonderful nostalgic displays in your home at Christmastime.

Collect miscellaneous items. There are many things you can collect during the year in order to take the pressure off the month of December. Mason jars, unusual glass containers, and narrow-necked bottles can hold gifts from the kitchen; brown grocery bags or shopping bags can be used to wrap gifts; white bakery bags and candles can be used to make luminaries; mailing tubes and paper towel rolls make unusual gift wrapping or party favors; the tops from frozen juice containers can be turned into ornaments; and corks can be used to make stamps.

Explore the craft market. Hundreds of books and websites offer craft ideas—from the simplest to the most complex and everything in between. Check out the possibilities at your local library. The following chapters also offer ideas. You’ll find dozens of unique uses for dried roses, pieces of cardboard, old corks, and seashells.

Trust yourself. Let’s say it looks like you’ll have a bumper crop of berries this summer. You decide to make lots of your signature freezer jam, which will be the inspiration for holiday gift baskets in December. Great idea! Find a recipe for biscuits, which will be the perfect basket companion along with other items you can start accumulating now.

A note of caution for you: Come Christmas, as you are putting your baskets together, a little voice may start whispering in your ear. It will suggest your gifts aren’t good enough, you need to go buy some real gifts, and your biscuits and jam theme is silly. You know it’s going to happen, so plan on it. Then determine that you will not listen, choosing rather to trust yourself and to believe in your plan.

Any time of the year is the best time of the year to start thinking about the most wonderful time of the year. The pressure is off, so you can think clearly. And a stress-free Christmas is likely the very best gift you can give yourself and your family.

We started a tradition thirty years ago, and it has become a gift no money can buy. As my husband put away the Christmas decorations on a cold, dreary January afternoon, he tucked a little note in the box that described a few of the events that had happened that Christmas: the weather, the people who stopped in for a visit, and a few words about our hopes, dreams, and wishes for the New Year. The next year it was so much fun to discover that little note tucked in with our Christmas things.

That was the year we started the memories box. Every Christmas holiday we make sure we write a note reflecting on the past year and some of the events that happened in our lives. Often we add a few resolutions or hopes for the upcoming year. We ask family members who are with us for the holidays to join in on this tradition.

As children came into our lives, we eventually had them write little notes as well. Some years I have made up a page with questions to make the task easier. We place these notes into a special wooden box and keep it closed until the next year on Christmas Eve, when we take them out and read them together.

It is always amazing to refresh a good memory and hear how things have changed and dreams have come true. After thirty years, we have a true gift of memories stored up in our wooden box. We have notes from loved ones who are no longer with us; scribbled notes from when our children were young; thoughtful notes from when they got older and appreciated things differently; notes reflecting on happy memories, special trips, decisions needing to be made, broken hearts that mended, favorite foods, favorite movies, and many aspirations.

Karen H., Missouri