I Gotta Organise. . .Christmas! 

How are you going with your Christmas organising? Are you becoming as organised as Mrs Claus or is your inner Grinch rearing it’s head as you question all hopes of being ready on time! 

Here is your To-Do list for this week. Conveniently seven items on the list this time, so you can try to get one thing done per day. Just pick the activity and assign a day and time to it and off you go…

4 weeks to go: 

1. Continue shopping

Keep going with your Christmas shopping this week. Again plan a day and time to get out to the shops and get another few gifts. 

2. Gift wrap as you go

Once you have a few gifts bought, sit down and wrap them. It’s another job done and that way as soon as you put up the Christmas tree, they’ll be ready to be put underneath. 

St Stephen's Green, Dublin (c) Sarah Reynolds

3. Continue writing your Christmas cards

Like last week, set another half hour or so aside with a cup of tea and finish writing your Christmas cards. If you managed to get that done last week, start addressing and stamping the envelopes. 

4. Post gifts abroad

If you have friends or family living in America or Australia, you’ll need to send away their gifts and cards this week. December 7^th is the last day that An Post can guarantee your gifts arriving to these destinations on time. 

5. Order the Turkey

When you do your food shopping this week, remember to order your turkey and ham with your local supermarket. 

Grand Canal, Dublin (c) Sarah Reynolds

6. Decoration Storage

Have you bought new Christmas decorations this year? Will they fit in the boxes you already have? If not, you may need to think about buying new storage for these items. Do you need a few new plastic boxes? Or more bubble wrap? Do you need more tape for your label maker? Or even simply new black markers? If you get these items now while you have the time, you will get the decorations put away with ease come January.  

7. Stock

When the decorations come out of storage over the coming week or so, do you have everything to get them all set up? Will you need a new extension lead for the plugs that come with the lights or the musical decorations? Do you need some cable tidies to clear up all the wires that come with setting up the tree? Do you need to get some thumb tacks to hang up the baubles and garland? And have you enough nightlights and matches for the candles you have on display? Have a think about these items and make a list so that you can pick these things up this week. 

And with that, you’ll be a little closer to Christmas and a little more organised!

Next week, your three week countdown!

 

 

I Gotta Organise. . .Christmas! 

With five weeks to go you may think you still have loads of time to go to Christmas. However, it’ll be upon us before we know it. Armed with your Christmas lists from last week, here are my top 9 things you can organise this week. . .

 

5 Weeks to Go:

1. Start your Christmas shopping

The sooner you start, the sooner you finish. You will also avoid long queues in shops and multi-story car parks. Look at your diary or calendar and figure out a morning, an evening of late night shopping or even a full day you can dedicate to getting a start on your shopping. 

Getting into the shops by the time they open first thing in the morning, is best as you have the shops to yourself. Bring a small bag with your bare essentials so you’re not weighed down. Wear a light jacket so you don’t get too warm and can carry easily if needs be. Try to get the children looked after or do it while they’re in school so you can fly around the shops on your own. 

Have a look at your Gift List that we discussed last week and make a plan of the shops you would like to target for the gifts you need. This will avoid zigzagging and wasting time. 

2. Buy your cards & stamps

I always tend to do this as one of my first Christmas tasks as it’s quick and easy to do and makes me feel like I’ve got Christmas planning underway! 

3. Buy suitable packaging if sending items abroad

Unfortunately with so many having to emigrate, there will be a lot of Christmas presents to be sent abroad. If they are large, bulky or oddly shaped they might need a very large padded envelope or a cardboard box suitable for transit. Pick these up while you’re in the post office getting your stamps! 

4. Santa Letters

Place du Molard, Geneva

If you haven’t done this already, time to sit the little ones down and get their Santa lists written! The sooner Santa gets them, the better – he and the elves have to get organised too you know, to make sure the toys are made on time for Christmas Eve!  

5. Start writing your Christmas Cards

This is especially important if you’re writing to loved ones abroad. By starting it early, you might have the time to write a longer card than usual or even a letter to those who can’t get home for Christmas. 

Also, by starting early you won’t be in a rush writing generic greetings just to get the job done! Make it an enjoyable activity. Sit down with a cup of tea, some nice music and take the time to wish those important in your life a happy Christmas. 

6. Shopping for Christmas outfits

Again, this is especially important if you have children and would like to get them a new outfit for Christmas day. Set a time aside to do this and only this. Don’t try to go gift shopping at the same time. Focus on one task at a time. 

7. Time to bake

If you like to make your desserts for the festive season, this is the week to think about doing so. Pick an afternoon to bake your Christmas cake or your Christmas pudding. And don’t forget to schedule in time beforehand to go shopping to get your supplies.

8. Book your beauty and hair appointments

Take out your diary or calendar and see what events you have coming up. Not only is there Christmas day to think of, but you may like to book in beauty and hair appointments for New Year’s Eve and if you have any Christmas parties to go to. Find days and times that suit you for a hair cut, a manicure etc and book the appointments in now before they fill up. 

9. Arrange Family and Friends Get-togethers

A great website www.doodle.com will help you organise your family and friends get-togethers. This website allows you to input potential dates and for others to tick their availability. Much easier than phone calls or emails back and forth! 

Hopefully by doing these tasks this week,
you will begin to feel more organised. 

Do let me know how you are getting on with your Christmas organising?

Next week, organising at four weeks! 

 

I Gotta Organise...Christmas! 

It’s that time of year again . . . Christmas!

Six weeks to go and with time flying by faster than Santa’s reindeer, it’s best to start organising yourself now.

Each year do you find yourself up against it, doing everything at the last minute?Do you promise yourself that next year it’ll be different? 

Well don’t let those ghosts of Christmas’ past sneak up on you again. For the next six weeks, I'll be showing you how to organise yourself each week so that Christmas this year brings you more cheer than fear!

6 WEEKS TO GO – MAKE LISTS!

So you’re sitting at home or in the office, thinking about the thousand and one things you have to do over the coming weeks. You need to get those to-do’s out of your head and onto a piece of paper. First things first, time to write a few lists.

You’ll need to get a notebook and this can become you’re Christmas notebook which will perhaps last you for a few years. 

In this notebook you will note everything you need to do over the next few weeks. It will live in your handbag or on your kitchen counter top or in your hallway – somewhere you can refer to it on a daily basis. Personally, I would recommend keeping it in your handbag as I can almost guarantee you will need to refer to it when you are out one day. 

The first thing for the notebook is your lists.

The Overall To-Do List 

In your notebook, you will have one overall list where you write absolutely everything you need to do between now and Christmas. For example, it may read something
like this . . . 

1. Buy Presents
2. Write Cards
3. Send Cards
4. Book beauty & hair treatments
5. Get Christmas decorations out of the attic
6. Go grocery shopping

After your overall list, you’ll have a few other secondary lists. Below are a few suggestions of lists you may need. When you refer to your overall list and see you need to buy gifts, you can then flick through your notebook to your ‘Gift List’ and know exactly who you have to buy for. Similarly, when you need to go grocery shopping, flick through your notebook again to your ‘shopping list’ and you’ll be sure to pick up everything you need. 

1. Gift List

Whether you have a ton of presents to get or just a few, make a list of everyone you need to get presents for. Next to their name create a table with the following headings: 

 
Budget
 
Ideas
 
Shops to target

 




By assigning a cost to each persons present and adding a little extra on for gift wrapping and cards, you will be able to budget better for gifts. 

Similarly, if you write down where you think you may get the presents, you will be able to make a shop map which will not only cut down on impulse buying but it will help you get your shopping done faster. 

You might like to add another column “present bought” and when you get their gift this year write it down. Next Christmas when you take out this Christmas notebook again, you will see what you bought everyone last year and you won’t repeat the gift! 

2. Christmas Card List

Like gifts, write down everyone you need to send a card to. This is your second list. 

 










Make sure to count how many you have on the list when you are done and mark it down so that when you find yourself ready to buy your cards & stamps you will know exactly how many to buy. That way you will only have to go buying them once! 

This is a good time to create your family & friends addresses database. As you gather their addresses make sure you put them all together in one place (that might be an address book, a notebook or on your computer). Make sure there is a clear label such as “friends & family addresses” on the book or computer folder. 

Each contact should have their full name and each line of their address next to them. You could even add in their mobile or email addresses to create a very organised database. 

If your contacts move house or country throughout the year, update your notebook or document so that come next Christmas you will have the most up to date addresses.

3. Christmas Budget

Whether we’re in the middle of a recession or not, it is good practice to write down how much you estimate Christmas will cost. There is a good budget available on www.nca.ie which will help you plan your Christmas spending. 

Or you can create your own one. Make a list of everything you think you will need over the festive period and an approximate cost. Tallying up each category and the total overall spend will help you figure out how you will distribute your funds. 

It will also show you which weeks you may have more money and which weeks you will have less which will allow you to plan ahead.  

Categories could be as follows: 

1. Children - Santa's gifts/ clothing
2. Family & Friends - gifts/ cards
3. Socialising - Dinners/ beauty & hair appointments/ babysitters/ taxi fare
4. Christmas dinner - Food/ Beverages/ Table dressing
5. Decorations - Tree/ Lights
6. Holidays - Flights/ Hotels/ Spending money

4. Grocery Shopping List

It’s never too early to write out your grocery & beverage shopping list for over the Christmas period. This will allow you to start stocking up early. Tins of biscuits, boxes of chocolates, bottles of wine, soft drinks, napkins, and Christmas crackers are all things that can be bought early & ticked off your list! 


Et voila, some lists to start getting you organised for Christmas. Don't put it off, take ten minutes out of your day and sit down and write your lists. Even Santa Claus writes out his naughty & nice list!  

Next week, your '5 weeks To Go' schedule!  

Happy Organising!