Getting a head start on the holidays
By By Patty Swearingen / MSU extension service county director
Nov. 2, 2003
You can tell it's November because of all the Christmas decorations appearing in our stores. My children have already pulled out the "wish books" and started making their list.
This year, let's (and I mean me, too) keep the "happy" in happy holidays by taking the time to get organized.
Plan ahead. Before each day gets hectic, plan your schedule from the middle of November through New Year's. Starting with your calendar, note all of your holiday parties and other engagements. Using a blank sheet of paper (or pre-designed project form), list everything that you need to do before Dec. 25.
Make your gift and card list early. Old St. Nick knew what he was doing when he made a list and checked it twice. It was not only to see who was naughty or nice, but also to make sure that he didn't forget anyone.
It's admirable to think that you will remember everyone, yet as the holidays approach your memory may begin to fade.
Go through your address book, calendar and correspondence and make a list of everyone to whom you want to send cards, gifts or both. The worst time to remember that you forgot to send a card is after the holidays. A holiday card is less effective after the season ends. Keep the list readily available.
When you go shopping, take your gift and card list with you. This will give you the opportunity to take advantage of pre-holiday sales. When you see something on sale, check your list to see if the same gift would be appropriate for several people. This will save you time and money.
Break your shopping down into smaller pieces. On one shopping trip, look for gifts for the children in your family and on another, shop for the adults or parents (in-laws).
If you're not sure if you've found the right gift, buy it anyway (as long as it's returnable) and make a final decision when you get home. Waiting until you've made a firm decision will mean another trip to the store where you may discover that someone else bought the item while you were still deciding.
Don't expect to do everything in one day or one weekend. Shopping and preparing for the holidays takes time. In theory, you should be able to buy everyone's gifts at one time and be finished. In reality, there are too obstacles, from finding the perfect gift to finding a parking space at the mall. Space your shopping over a few weekends and weeknights. Also, take advantage of catalog and online shopping.
Get your family involved. Realize that you can't do everything and ask others to help. When you finish working, the last things you want to do are clean and wash the dishes. Delegate chores to your spouse or children yes, your children.
It's amazing what a child can do if given an opportunity to help. It will take a while to explain the task initially, but eventually your children will feel comfortable with the newly assigned task and will handle it regularly. Of course you may have to nudge them a few times. I know at my house it may take more than a few nudges to get them going, but it will save time to have some help.
Getting organized is a good idea any time of the year. Getting organized before the holidays will not only give you piece of mind and a sense of accomplishment, it will give you a head start on the new year.
