My immediate family members and close friends think I’m just a little bit insane (or overly obsessed, maybe) because I’m literally thinking about Christmas all year long.
But I don’t really care what they think; I like to be as prepared as I possibly can be. And I seriously hate running around like a chicken with its head cut off like the majority of people do in those last couple of weeks before December 25th.
I also take pride in selecting the most perfect, thoughtful gifts for each person. I don’t always hit the mark every year or with everyone, but I certainly give it the ol’ college try.
And by spacing out my holiday purchases all year long, I don’t tend to break the December budget by spending hundreds (or thousands, in my case) more than I should, all at once.
To achieve all of this I have a constantly-updated “Christmas 2025” list in the Notes app on my iPhone. I pin that note to the top and add to it all year long when I come across something that might be a great option for one or more of the people on my list.
If I see a cute bracelet online in May that I think my mother would enjoy, I make a note of it (and hope it goes on sale). If I come across the perfect t-shirt for my college aged nephew at a small shop while on vacation in August, I buy it. And when I stumble across a moderately priced item that I think will work for all of my far-flung friends in different cities across the country, I’ll buy multiples. Even if it’s January 3rd.
(I guess this is where I’ll also tell you that, in early October, I start planning the holiday greeting card that we’re going to send out to 50 or so households the first week of December. Again, I’m a little crazy—I can admit it—but I like to customize the card we send each year, so I need to make sure to leave lots of time to have them printed, addressed, and sent to us so we can sign them by hand, stamp them with real holiday postage stamps, and mail them out just after Thanksgiving so that ours is one of the first to arrive.)
Yup, I’m obsessed. And I LOVE Christmas. And, yes, the tree(s) get put up and decorated the day after Thanksgiving in my house. And they stay up until January 6th because that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
Anyway, you certainly don’t have to be as Christmas crazed as me to be better organized. Trust me, you’ll save yourself a lot of last-minute heartache if you start that list in January and add to it as you find present ideas throughout the year. It makes December sooooo less stressful.
But, remember one thing: If you buy something months and months before the holidays, make sure you remember where you put them and make a note in your Christmas gift document about where they are. I learned this the hard way last year when I was going through a random shopping bag at the back of my closet and I found four gifts I’d purchased on a vacation that I’d completely forgotten about. Luckily, they are still appropriate for this Christmas…so I made a note…and that’s four less presents I have to worry about.
PS—I’m going on a cruise in a few weeks. And, yup, I’ll be thinking about my friends and family when I hit those unique shops in the ports of call.
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