Organizing for the Holidays

The holiday season is upon us, whether we're ready or not. Commercials for Christmas gifts are airing, decorations are up in shops, and even the Salvation Army bell ringers are in full force in the Times Square subway. I must admit, I'm not 100% innocent in this premature debut of the holiday spirit. After Halloween, I definitely start getting excited for all of the festivities. But instead of getting out the ribbons and garland, I do a little behind the scenes prep and allow myself to ease into the holidays.

I follow the jolly man's lead on this and make myself a nice list, of course, checking it twice. There are so many things I want to accomplish and plan for before I get too distracted by turkey, bells, and shinny things. So today I'm sharing a few tips and the things we're doing to prepare for the holiday season, in a somewhat organized manner. 

Holiday Cards
Ordering and sending our holiday cards is always first on my list. Mainly because it's one of the easier and more fun things to do. I browse websites like Minted and Zazzle in the beginning of November. I like to have them ordered by mid November, addressed and ready to send by the first week of December. It may seem silly to allow two weeks of browsing before purchasing but it's so hard to pick just one design!

{1/2/3/4/5/6/7}
Please, help me decide! I love them all! 

I like to send cards that capture the biggest moment of our year. Can you guess what's likely going on our cards this year? 

After ordering, I dedicate a few days to address them, that way I can address a handful of cards at a time before my personal deadline. I try to make sure my address list is up to date before Thanksgiving.

Tip: Hate throwing away photo cards? Here's a way to easily organizing your cards and letters

Meal Planning
This year we are spending Thanksgiving with my British in-laws, who technically have no reason at all to celebrate Thanksgiving. However, they have graciously allowed me to introduce them to some of the traditions my family has been holding for generations. 

This year, I'll be in charge of everything except the turkey {Brit has kindly decided to take the reigns on that one}. Since I've never prepared anything for Thanksgiving before, I am feeling a little bit nervous about the whole thing. I've already started getting the family recipes together and creating the grocery list. 

I'm currently planning the cooking schedule by documenting what time to cook/prepare each dish in order to have things ready and warm in an orderly fashion. Everyone says that preparing a successful Thanksgiving dinner comes down to planning and organization and that I'll be fine. But, if any of you have advice or little tips/tricks that work for you, please share! 

Gift List & Budgeting
Gift giving is easily my favorite part of the holiday season, which is why I have to keep a detailed list of gift ideas, purchases, and prices. I have a tendency to get a little too excited and over buy for people. So in order to stay on budget and get everyone an appropriate amount, I use this gift tracking list. 

This year, I've updated my list to include a "From" column. Although we don't have children in our home, Santa still delivers gifts, #alwaysbelieve. When I purchase gifts, I have in mind which ones will be from me and which ones Santa is going to drop down our... garbage chute? This year, I'll be able to easily remember which gifts are from me and which are being made by elves. 

In addition to creating a gift list for all of my loved ones, I also start creating my own wish list. I use Elfster.com to create an online wish list and share it with Brit and my family. I started using the site for a gift exchange with a few close friends, and it soon became the easiest way for me to share my wish list with everyone. It's super simple and even provides suggestions for those gifts you didn't know you wanted {simple and dangerous}. 

Holiday Party Planning: 
For the past several years we have hosted a Turducken Party. Yes, you read that right, Tur-duck-en {turkey + duck + chicken}. We are not a vegetarian home. We get together with friends, eat, drink, and hold a small gift exchange. This is not your typical, mature, adults sitting around a table, dinner party. Mainly because I don't think all of us could sit still long enough to make that possible. But also, we live in NYC and definitely don't have the dining space for such things. So place settings are not a concern, however, there are a few things that we do in order to have an organized and amazing night. 

• Plan the guest list - Luckily it's pretty much the same group every year, so this is easy. 
• Send the invites - We send our invites stupid early. Like 2 months early. Emily Post is shaking her head, but the holidays are always packed with so many parties and events, so we selfishly like to claim the day early. 
• Decide who's bringing what - Google calendar invites and shared docs really help with this. People can respond to our invitation and jot down what dish they plan to bring for everyone to see, so we don't end up with 5 sides of potatoes.
• Order the bird{s} - it takes a couple of weeks for the bird to arrive and several days to thaw so we typically do this 3 weeks in advance. 
• Organize and setup decorations - In other words, turn our apartment into a winter wonderland. I have started to brainstorm what kinds of decorations I'll DIY this year, you can check out some from last year here. 

Travel
Holidays are filled with travel plans to visit family and loved ones. Holiday travel has a bad rap, but it really doesn't have to be so stressful. By planning ahead, you can save hassle and stress and actually enjoy the holiday season. 

• Consider a travel rewards card - We travel a lot so owning a travel rewards credit card is completely worth it for us. Flights around the holidays are always more expensive, so we use our rewards benefits to save a few bucks. We pay $150 for a "free" companion flight each year. This year, that $150 saved us $500 {net saving $350}. This helps lessen the blow to our finances and allows more wiggle room with gift giving! 
• Leave early! - Yes, airports are the last place most people want to sit around. However, during the holidays it's safer to sit around, than to rush and possibly miss your flight. Try getting to the airport 2.5-3 hours before you're scheduled to board. 
• Fly early - If schedule permits, book early morning flights. They're less likely to be canceled due to air traffic and the airport isn't quite as crowded. Of course, you can't predict weather related delays, but with earlier flights, you're more likely to make it the same day rather than spend the night at the airport. 
• Pack into a carry on - This isn't always easy during the winter months with sweaters and coats, especially if you'll be traveling for a longer period of time, but waiting on luggage or lost luggage are just added stressors that can be avoided with carry ons. 
• Ship gifts in advance - Wrapped presents don't travel well. If you are taking a carry-on, TSA typically wants to see what's inside the wrapped gift, especially if you use a wrapping paper with any foil detailing {don't ask how I know... I just, know}. Ordering gifts online, or shipping them to a destination address can save space in your luggage and allow for less hassle through security. 

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That pretty much sums up the holiday prep around this home. As you can see, it's mainly lists and scheduling at this point in the game. Getting these plans and details sorted out in advance allows us to have a less stressful and more celebratory holiday season! 

What do you do ahead of time to prepare for the holidays? Any of you already finished with your buying gifts? 


Grab the printables from this post here!

• Thanksgiving Grocery List
• Thanksgiving Prep Schedule
• Gift Tracking List

Thanks for visiting!