I was going to write about having an organized Christmas but I have a confession to make first. I kind of hate Christmas and December.
I don't think I'm the only one. See if you can relate to the things I hate about the holiday season:
1. There is always too much that I have to do.
2. A lot of the things that I have to do I really don't want to do. Things like decorating, shopping and going to events and all the extra church services. It is so hard to have an organized Christmas if you are constantly busy doing extra things you don't want to do.
3. The weather goes from fairly nice, somewhat cool fall days into a brutally cold, snow filled winter. I wish I was smart enough to live in a better climate.
4. The decorating is enough to drive me insane. I don't even live with my ex-wife but she still ropes me into helping her set up her tree, for the kids. A gigantic artificial tree. If you want to decorate, go ahead, I am just pointing out that I don't like to do that very much. It just doesn't add to my life. Some people are more into the creativeness of decorating their homes at Christmas time. I am not. I enjoy seeing it, just not doing it. I just have so many other things I would rather do. I choose not to do that and save a ton of time.
5. Those expensive Christmas gifts. I love to get my kids as many gifts that they want and that I can afford. I just don't like the buying for everyone else. Sometimes I think I am Scrooge. But where does it say that I have to spend every dime I have?
6. And the other expenses beside gifts just mount up into a huge burden. Year end bills, holiday dinners out, dinner parties, Christmas cards, charities are begging continuously and you are always being asked to chip in for something or someone.
7. The season starts so early. I really am sick of it by December 25.
8. Extra food everywhere. I love to eat so it is very hard not to pack on a bunch of pounds at this time of year.
9. There is something called St. Nick's in the southern Wisconsin area. It is basically more gifts for kids December 6.
Other than that, it's fine.
One of my favorite country singers is Merle Haggard. A big hit of his was
"If We Make It Through December".
It is really a sad country song. The song kind of sums of my December's. It can be just such a tough month.
You have to approach having an organized Christmas just like any other big project. Avoid doing what you don't want to do. Minimize clutter. Use lists. Plan your trips.
If you are truly interested in an organized Christmas you have to start early. Earlier than the first week in December.
The most important thing to do is have lots of cash on hand. That is really the only way to have an enjoyable holiday season. Money is what makes for an organized Christmas.
I don't want to seem cynical, but there is no way that you can convince me that money is not the most important thing to having an organized Christmas.
What do you need to buy all the gifts? What do you need to go to the holiday parties? What do you need to have people over for dinner and visiting? What do you need to get something to bring whenever you are invited to someone's house? What do you need to give to charities, churches and whoever needs something? What do you need for all the extra expenses that are due at the end of the year? What do you need to prepare for the terrible winter weather that is coming?
Money. And lots of it.
I'll be honest. I am writing this in the first week of December. It is really too late for you to have a totally organized Christmas this year.
But, you can get ready for next year now. That is the best way. Start preparing long range. Set aside cash, pay off as much debt as you can, stay ahead of your bills and get an organized Christmas next year. Make it a goal. It will help you all year around too.
It is always better to do some long range planning for anything. Christmas included.
You are probably reading this article because you were hoping to find some hints to having an organized Christmas this year. Here are a few easy things you can do now:
1. Cut out as many other activities as you can. If you want to enjoy your Christmas holiday type activities more, you have to stop doing something. Right? You will have to cut out some of the normal stuff you do.
2. Cut way back on TV. Maybe to the point of eliminating it this month. The shows will keep until January.
3. Maybe only watch a little sports. You might have to miss a few minutes of your favorite team here and there.
4. Avoid extra overtime hours at work. You will have to decide, time or money.
5. Don't volunteer for anything. This is pretty hard for most people to avoid, but do what you can.
6. Try to buy as many gifts as you can in one outing and in one store. Going from store to store is a huge timewaster and a major hassle.
7. Don't shop two days in a row. It will just sap all your energy.
8. Shop later in the evening as much as you can. Weekday and weekend evenings are much less crowded.
9. The easiest time ever to go Christmas shopping is mid to late afternoon on Christmas Eve. Everyone is pretty much done and you will have the stores to yourself. Plus you will not have wasted all of December shopping. You will just use the last day as a deadline. Your motivation to finish will be huge. I have done this before as a game one year and as a necessity a different year because I didn't have any money until then. If you have a list of things that you can get all in one place, if they're small and can be wrapped by the store or put in gift bags, you are golden. You will have had a super organized Christmas because you kept the time frame very short.
The other easy way to shop is to shop online.
10. Buy small gifts. They are easier to carry. They are also easier and less expensive to wrap. They are also easier to hide. You just cannot go wrong with Gift cards, especially gift cards from Amazon.
11. Have your list with you all the time. Refer to it often; it is so easy to forget. My memory is not that great for things other people want only for what I want.
12. Keep your car full of gas. Winter, remember.
13. Be ready for winter to hit at any moment. Watch the weather. I am not kidding, the last thing you want is to be stuck in a snowstorm when trying to do holiday shopping or getting supplies for a holiday dinner. You have got to be flexible on going to the stores. The stress of having to get to the store in a raging snowstorm or on icy roads or in extremely frigid conditions is just a life sucking experience. Having an organized Christmas will be the last thing on your mind if you are in an accident.
14. Try to get some of your yearly bills that come in December to come at a different month. I have my 6 month car insurance bill due in December and my AAA bill due in December. The 3 month water bill also is due. That is too many big bills. These are always an extra burden.
15. Have plenty of wrapping paper, clear tape, tissue paper, gift bags and labels. This stuff is cheap at Wal-Mart and stores like that. I never find it necessary to have ribbons and bows, but I am a guy. I never see the need to have fancy, expensive wrapping paper either. I guess this kind of stuff is cheaper after Christmas too.
16. Don't feel like your house has to look like a magazine ad. Pick up the clutter and don't worry about a little dirt and germs. You can do a more thorough cleaning after the tree and decorations are taken down and things get back to normal.
17. As you are going about your preparations for this year, take some notes for next year and keep them in your Planner Book. Those frustrations that you are working through now could be dealt with easier next year if you remember them in your Planner Book. If you don't write down the problems now you will forget by next year. You will see ideas for gifts that you can't afford now but could be for the next year. Have a section in your
Planner Book
labeled Organized Christmas.
18. Minimize your decorating. I know, I know there are so many nice, cute interesting decorations. They are usually not that expensive either. But if your house is full now and you buy a bunch more decorations, after Christmas you will have a lot more to store. It will be a huge project to put them away after
Christmas.
19. I am thinking about a new concept for an organized Christmas decorating for the future. I would just buy new stuff every year and then give it all away after Christmas. Doesn't that sound fun? The benefits of this method would be that charities would get my very nice, new decorations, people would enjoy buying them at the Goodwill type stores, I wouldn't have to store anything and I could have the fun of shopping for new stuff next year. I think that is the way old type holidays were like. You
threw away the live tree. Decorations were not saved from year
to year. The candles burned down, candy canes were eaten and popcorn strings and garland were thrown outside for the birds. The only thing that would have been stored would be the star. This method would probably work even if you were not wealthy; just keep your buying of the new stuff to a minimum.
So, to sum up, there are some ways to have an organized Christmas, but do yourself a huge favor and start planning for next year, right now.
