72 Christmas Planning Tips For A Surprisingly Easy Christmas

These Christmas planning tips and ideas will help get you on the right path for planning out the holidays this year.

Christmas Planning Tips & Ideas

Most stress around the holidays is caused by having too much to do and not enough time. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by Christmas, it’s time to take a pause and come up with a reasonable plan.

A lot of us get into the trap of thinking that we have to do everything perfectly during the holidays.

We go overboard and end up spending too much money, eating too much food and doing too many activities.

Keep it simple, make it easy with these Christmas planning tips. Christmas should be about spending time with loved ones and enjoying the festive spirit of the season. Not feeling overwhelmed & stressed!

My favorite Christmas planning tips & ideas are listed below. See if you do any of these Christmas preparation tips to get ready for the holidays each year!

Tips For Planning Your Christmas Budget

1. Open a savings account just for Christmas spending.
2. Try a monthly or weekly Christmas savings challenge to put aside money for the end of the year.
3. Avoid credit card debt when you can. Save up and pay cash this year for all Christmas items.
4. Review what you spent from last year’s holiday season. This year will probably be similar.
5. Make a Christmas budget for all spending areas: food, gifts, decor, activities, etc.
6. Shop for gifts & baking supplies throughout the year. Take advantage of good sales.
7. Track your spending as you go. Make adjustments, but challenge yourself to stick to your goals.

Tips For Christmas Gift Planning

1. One of the biggest Christmas planning ideas I’ve learned over the years is to make a Christmas gift budget and stick to it.
2. To do this, make a list of people you plan on giving gifts to.
3. Consider how much you want to spend per person on gifts & stocking stuffers.
4. Next, brainstorm gift ideas for those on your gift list.
5. Then, shop throughout the year for gifts. Take advantage of sales, coupons or discounts.
6. Use cash back programs such as Rakuten when shopping online.
7. Use cash back apps such as Upside when shopping in person at the store.
8. Give yourself enough time before Christmas to make homemade gifts.
9. Can’t figure out what to get someone? Treat them to an experience such as a sports game, dinner at a restaurant, movie night at a theater, etc. This might be a better option than a physical gift.
10. For big groups such as coworkers, extended family, etc. consider doing a white elephant gift exchange instead of buying individual gifts.

Tips For Christmas Meal Planning

1. Plan your Christmas dinner menu: appetizers, main dish, side dishes, side salad, bread & dinner rolls, drinks & dessert.
2. Try new recipes ahead of time. Don’t wait til Christmas Day to try a new dish.
3. Shop ahead for ingredients based on sales and coupon deals.
4. Order ahead for baked goods & prepared foods for Christmas dinner.
5. Ask others to chip in for Christmas dinner. Don’t feel that you have to make all the dishes yourself if you’re feeding a big crowd.
6. Prep foods ahead of time. Cookies can be baked up to several months in advance and frozen. Many dishes can be prepared the day before on Christmas Eve.
7. Keep foods warm for Christmas dinner using electric warming plates.
8. Double check your serve ware, dishes, glasses & silverware. Do you have everything you need to serve Christmas dinner?
9. Decide if you want to decorate your table for Christmas dinner. A lovely Christmas tablescape with candles will set a cozy vibe for dinner.

Tips For Making Plans On Christmas Day & Eve

1. Finish wrapping any gifts so they are ready to give on Christmas Day. Get ready for Santa’s arrival!
2. Make time for last minute shopping on Christmas Eve. Most stores aren’t open on Christmas Day.
3. Christmas Eve is a good time to do any last minute cleaning & tidying around your home.
4. Spend some time on Christmas Eve doing something fun & meaningful – attend a church service, have dinner with friends or family, enjoy Christmas lights, volunteer, etc.
5. Gift a gift on Christmas Eve or plan a Christmas Eve box to open.
6. Plan to relax on Christmas Day with family. Open presents, eat Christmas brunch & enjoy your new gifts.
7. Plan ahead for Christmas dinner so you aren’t spending the whole day cooking. Utilize prepared foods and dishes made the day before.
8. If you’re cooking a roast in the oven, be sure to put it in during the morning hours.

If you’re looking for a printable Christmas planner, check out my Ultimate Christmas Planner! It’s got tons of Christmas planning worksheets to help you get organized this year.

Grab the Ultimate Christmas Planner printable HERE!

Combining 10 planners into 1, my Ultimate Christmas Planner printable has everything you need to tackle the Christmas season this year. Christmas Planners Included: Travel Planner, Budget Planner, Christmas Card Planner, Cleaning Planner, Cookie Planner, Decor Planner, Gift Planner, Meal Planner, Party Planner and a Traditions Planner.

If you’re trying to get Christmas plans in place, this printable Christmas planner is for you!

Tips For Setting Up Christmas Decor

1. Plan & shop for Christmas decor early for the best deals and greatest selection.
2. Start with decorating your living room for Christmas. If you have time & energy, decorate other rooms as well.
3. Decide if you want to put up a Christmas tree this year. Don’t feel bad about not putting up a tree if you don’t feel like it this year.
4. Invest in good quality Christmas decor that you can reuse year after year vs disposable decor that will only last a year or two.
5. Put up Christmas lights earlier in the season when the weather is warmer. Turn on the lights starting after Thanksgiving.
6. Give yourself time to decorate. It doesn’t always get done within a day!
7. Decorate early enough in the season to enjoy your Christmas decor.
8. Give yourself time to take down Christmas decorations & clean your home.
9. Be sure to sort & store Christmas decor appropriately to avoid damage. This makes it easier to find your decorations for next year.

Tips For Planning Christmas Activities & Traditions

1. Make a bucket list of Christmas activities & traditions you want to do this year.
2. Book tickets to Christmas shows & events early for the best seats.
3. Plan a Christmas party & send out invitations by Thanksgiving.
4. Try new Christmas crafts, activities for something different this year.
5. On the other hand, make time to do your favorite Christmas traditions with family & friends.

Tips For Planning Travel Over Christmas

1. Make Christmas plans with out of town family by late summer so they know what to expect.
2. Book travel early to reserve your seats. Holiday travel is always busy.
3. Consider visiting family & friends in the weeks before or after Christmas instead of over Christmas.
4. Consider visiting family & friends during other times of the year such as over the summer instead of at Christmas.
5. Make a packing list. Consider shipping gifts & items you can’t bring by car or plane.
6. Set aside Christmas travel funds early in the year to use for booking tickets.
7. Take a family vacation for the holidays instead of staying home.
8. Make contingency plans in case of travel delays. Stay flexible.

Tips For Christmas Home Preparation

1. Do a deep clean as you decorate your house for Christmas.
2. Hire a cleaning service to clean your home ahead of Christmas.
3. Hire a cleaning service to clean your home after you’ve taken down the Christmas decorations.
4. If you’re hosting guests, make sure they have everything they need in their guest bedroom, bathroom.
5. Declutter to make room for new gifts, toys.
6. Burn Christmas & holiday scented candles to make your home smell like Christmas.
7. Make crock pot potpourri using cinnamon sticks, apple slices, essential oils, etc. to scent your home during the holidays.
8. Keep lights low and enjoy the Christmas lights around your home in the evenings.
9. Make time to keep up with regular household chores, even when things get busy this time of year.
10. Make a playlist of your favorite Christmas songs to play at home during the holiday season.

Tips For Sending Out Christmas Cards

1. Take Christmas card pictures on your summer vacation. Bring any nice outfits with you on the trip.
2. Or, take Christmas card pictures in the fall. Book your photography session early.
3. Plan out any clothing, accessories needed for your Christmas card photos. Don’t forget pets!
4. Keep a list of addresses for people you send Christmas cards to. Keep it updated throughout the year as people move.
5. Budget enough money for stamps, cards, photos & a professional printing service.
6. Get cards done & sent within the first two weeks of December so they arrive by Christmas.

I know it seems like a lot of work to get ready for the holidays, but you’ve got this! Use these Christmas preparation tips and Christmas planning ideas to get a head start on your holiday planning this year.

Get organized for Christmas this year with this FREE printable Christmas planning checklist. Sign up below for an instant download!

Looking for additional printables to help with your Christmas planning? Need a Christmas planner to work with your household binder? Check out my FULL Christmas Planner HERE!

More Christmas Planning Ideas

For more info on how to plan your best Christmas yet, check out these posts:

• The Complete Christmas Planning Guide For Busy People
• Ultimate Christmas Planner Printable – Best Christmas Planner for This Year
• Christmas Budget Planning Mistakes – How To Stop Christmas Overspending
• Now Or Later? Here’s When To Start Planning For Christmas
• Christmas Dinner Planning Guide For The Ultimate Holiday Feast
• Christmas Gift Planning – How To Plan Christmas Gifts This Year
• How To Plan Christmas Decorations The Easy Way
• 48 Hours Of Awesome – How To Plan Christmas Day & Eve
• {Free Printable!} A Christmas Planning Checklist For This Year
• {Free Printable!} Save Money With This Christmas Budget Printable
• {Free Printable!} Christmas Meal Planner Printable to Prep a Feast

Pin It For Later!