I mean really…..haven’t we had enough stress this year? It’s time to shake off the tension, to the extent possible, and do our best to enjoy this holiday season. We all know that this time of year can cause us to become a bit stressed but the reality is that most of it is self-inflicted. The fact is that we don’t start early enough, we don’t establish a spending limit and most of all, we don’t have a plan.
I’ve done a fair amount of research on this subject and have come up with a pretty thorough list of steps that start the first week of November and carries you through December 20th where you will find yourself with all of your gifts purchased, wrapped and sent (if necessary), your home will be decorated, your cards will be sent, your tree will glittering and you will already have had a fabulous holiday party. You have done all of this, by the way, with very little muss or fuss. All you have to do now is sit back, relax, and enjoy the season.
In this blog post, I’m going to give you the first set of tips which will show you how to create your lists and plan your gifting. If you’re interested in receiving more tips, I’ll ask you to subscribe to my weekly newsletter. That way, you’ll be notified when the next set of tips come out for the ensuing weeks. Ready? Let’s go.
Make your List(s) – November 1st-November 14th:
1. Get a notepad and start creating your gift and holiday card lists. Keep the notepad handy so you can update it as you get new ideas.
2. Establish your budget and vow to stick to it. The beauty of planning ahead is that you’ll allow yourself enough time to find the right items at the right price so you don’t purchase impulsively or out of desperation.
3. Categorize your gift recipients into those who will receive a remembrance and others who will get a special gift that will take a little more time to personally select.
4. Now organize your list geographically and figure out when you need to either send the gift yourself or have it sent by the store or website. Those who live the farthest distance will go straight to the top of the list.
5. Gather all of the addresses for your holiday cards and double check them if necessary. Some people do like to print address labels and I’ll admit it does make things easier but it isn’t very personal. Use your own judgment here but consider the hand written option carefully.
6. Make sure you have enough return address labels and stamps.
Next week we’ll talk about Gift Planning.
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