It is very easy for the entire month of December to be crazy and chaotic.  The best way I have found to ward of stress and keep things somewhat sane is to plan and prepare ahead.

Shop Ahead
Over the past few years I have learned to shop early.  My goal is to have the bulk of my Christmas shopping completed before Thanksgiving.

In fact, there have been times when gifts were purchased for my family in Australia by October so I could ship them by boat, it costs much less that way, but can take almost 3 months to arrive (since this shipping option is no longer available I don’t have to ready quite so early). 

Purchase Gifts Online
I LOVE to shop online.  It is so much less stressful for me.  I make very good use of Amazon.com and other places. 

We live in a small town and it is often hard to find items I want to buy.  However, even if I lived in a big city, I would probably still shop online.  It is so nice to avoid the crowded mall and much easier to “shop” in the comfort of my own home when the kids are in bed.

I do use Amazon.com for a lot of things since they have free shipping in $25 purchase (not to mention their free 2 day shipping with an Amazon Prime free trial).

Plan and Purchase Food Early
I like to ask my husband what he would enjoy at our Christmas meal and then make a menu plan.  I then try to purchase as many ingredients as possible in advance.  I’m talking, this week.  That way I don’t worry about the store being out of an important ingredient and I don’t have to tackle anyone for the last bag of chocolate chips to make our Chocolate Pecan Pie!  (I wouldn’t do that...really...I promise!)

I’m not sure that this has been a regular part of my Christmas plan, but this year I am planning simple meals for most of the month, then we can enjoy cooking our special treats and dinners.   It might also be good to put some freezer meals together.

My downfall
Here is where things get complicated for me.  I like to make a lot of goodies...  Not just cookies, but sewing projects, homemade marshmallows, bath fizzies..... You know, all the fun stuff you see online and in magazines this time of year.  I want to make everything.  I think it would be wise to settle down a little and not try to be so ....um.....crazy!  There have been times where I feel I am running around the house.  Literally running from place to place, so I can do all these things. That doesn’t seem like a good plan.

Making gifts is not always easy, since you have to shop for supplies and then actually make the gift!  For instance..I need a certain kind of twill tape for something I am making for the kids main present...and I can’t find it anywhere!  I have wasted a lot of time looking for that silly tape.  I am giving up and just substituting.  Sometimes it’s good to know when to cut your losses.

To combat this problem I have a little plan.  It has not been instituted yet, so we will see if it works!

The plan for making gifts and goodies for the rest of the month:

*Decide on gifts to be made and purchase supplies early.Make things early.  I made a few items in November.  BUT, there are still a lot of items on my to-do list.

*It would be a good idea to make a bunch of the same type of gift to give to different people...
Maybe I’ll try that next year.

*Dedicate afternoons for projects
Since we still need to keep up with some basic schooling during most of December (we had a lot of time off earlier in the year), my plan is to finish school by lunch, then use the afternoon for projects.  I want to involve the kids in as much of this as possible.  If they can’t help with the project I am working on, then they can do something more kid-friendly.  And when I say project, that might also be something especially for them, like baking cookies.

*Keep things calm with story time,  rest time, and walks around the block.
We often have story time after lunch and I don’t want to let this get swallowed up in business.  I also want to make time to enjoy some fresh air and pick up pine cones as we brave the cold for a short walk around the block.  I want to find delight in each day and each moment, cherishing this time that I have with the children God has entrusted to me.  If I am too busy to enjoy that, then something is amiss.

I hope you have a lovely Christmas season, enjoying your family and delighting in the life God has given you.