As of Sept 22, the first day of autumn, it is 93 days till Christmas, and 74 days till Dec. 1. If you've been following the monthly suggestions in this blog, this information won’t cause you to gasp and drop your coffee mug! You’ll be ready for the holidays before they officially arrive!
This month, it's time to take stock of all that you have planned or prepared for Christmas. Did you start a Christmas notebook? Remember, that’s where you were to jot down not only ideas for gifts but also the list of gifts you’ve made or bought and tucked away, as well as the place to list the sizes, favorite colors, styles, and motifs, etc. of those to whom you plan to give gifts. If you made such a notebook, that’s a good place to write down the rest of your Christmas plans. If not, what are you waiting for? Time’s a-wasting!
Other plans you may or may not have finalized are 1) the family newsletter or photo collage that will go into the Christmas cards that you may have handmade or purchased on clearance in January, 2) your choice of gift wrap – handmade or purchased on clearance in January, 3) ideas for meals and desserts you intend to make this year, and 4) your plan for putting more of Christ into your Christmas.
If you had intended to make gifts, design gift wrap, or make greetings cards and haven’t gotten started yet, start now or scrap your plans for now and save them for next year. (Except, of course, if your gifts will be of the edible variety. Naturally those can’t be made too far in advance.) Our goal is to have a stress-free holiday this year. In October and November our focus will be on preparing to decorate, entertain, and enjoy holiday activities, as well as to finish collecting and stashing gifts. When December 1 arrives, I want you to look forward to the merriest of Christmases, not panic about the stuff you have left on your list of to-do’s!So tell me, how ready for Christmas are you?
