Christmas in July

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It's not too early to start planning for the holidays!

By Helen Williams

Starting Christmas preparations in July might seem strange, but it’s actually not a bad idea, especially for those who dread the Christmas rush. By taking some steps early, you’ll find the holiday season more relaxing, enjoyable and a lot less stressful. I take the month of July to put together what I call a “Holiday Planner,” a section of my Day-timer that is dedicated to all things Christmas. The planner covers the following topics.

Gift list

You can draft this list by hand or use a computer program, as I do (Excel or Google Spreadsheets). Include friends, family, and teachers, and record the person’s name and gift ideas. Leave a space to record the gift when you purchase it. Your list will be a great resource when you are shopping during the final months of the year. Be sure to dedicate a cupboard to store gifts as you purchase them.

Food

What would the holiday season be without food? Pull together your favourite recipes for Christmas meals, snacks and treats as well as food gift ideas and put them in your planner. As you come across new recipes from now until Christmas, add them in. Indicate which recipes freeze well as a reminder to do some of the cooking/baking in advance.

Decorations

Pull out the boxes, bins and bags and decide what you really want to keep. Donate or share the items you no longer want. Then box up the items that are left according to which room they will reside in. This will make decorating easier when the holiday season comes around. Pulling out one bin at a time means that the job is less overwhelming and can be done a little at a time. Keeping a master list of decorations means you won’t double up when you are out shopping for new items.

Travel

If you travel during the holiday season, now is the time to think about booking flights, hotels, train tickets, et cetera. Keep track of the details, where you are going, dates, reservation numbers, et cetera, so you can find them when the holidays come around. If you require a passport, get it now!

Gift wrap, bows, cards

Pull your holiday wrap, bows and cards together so you can find them when you need them. If you are low on anything, add it to your master shopping list. If you don’t have a holiday card list, consider working on it now. Gather names, addresses and email addresses for e-cards and add them to the binder so you won’t be scrambling to find them in December.

Celebrate

With your holiday planning and organizing well underway, it’s time to celebrate.  The summer is a great time to test out a new recipe or an activity or craft that you just can’t make the time for during the holiday season. If your kids attend a camp, consider making a batch of holiday-shaped sugar cookies (this is our favourite Sugar Cookie recipe) for their group. And if you’re really into it, why not hang stockings and hope Santa stops by with some mid-summer treats?