Home»Christmas»10 Things You Can Do Now to Make Christmas a Breeze

10 Things You Can Do Now to Make Christmas a Breeze


Get yourself organised NOW for Christmas and you may just have some time to put your feet up and enjoy the festivities.
Get yourself organised NOW for Christmas and you may just have some time to put your feet up and enjoy the festivities.

1. Create a Christmas budget

I know, budgets are boring! Though it’s really no fun looking at your bank statements in January and realising you’ve way overspent on Christmas. Now is the time to consider your budget.

Remember to include:

  • Spending limits for gifts – itemise per person or family
  • Christmas day menu or any other functions you’re hosting
  • Decorations – tree, lights, table, stockings, flowers, advent calendars
  • Christmas day outfits or outfits for family photos
  • Travel costs if you are heading on holidays or visiting family
  • Costs for any specific family traditions
  • Donations to charity
  • Cards and postage
  • Gift wrap, ribbons, gift tags and stationery
  • Christmas crafts
  • Kids entertainment
  • Professional photography
  • Cleaning and home maintenance
  • Parties – clothes, travel, babysitting, food if contributing.

Not sure where to start? Download our FREE Christmas budget printable.

2. Meal plan for Christmas day

If you are hosting Christmas at your place, meal plan now! It is perhaps the single most important plan you can make to ensure you don’t lose the plot on the day. Here are some things you can do:

  • Plan out each course, drinks and nibbles.
  • Try to include some items that can be prepared in advance to take the pressure off Christmas day.
  • Gather all your recipes together into one folder.
  • Plan out a shopping list based on your meal plan.
  • For the extreme planners, do a day-to-day action plan for the week of Christmas – there are bound to be items on your list than can be prepped days in advance.
  • I would also do a runsheet for Christmas day – what needs to be defrosted when, what needs to go in the oven when, who is in charge of the drinks when guests arrive etc. OK, that’s the event planner in me going a bit OTT, but planning your day to this detail will really help. Remember to delegate!
Get yourself organised NOW for Christmas Click To Tweet

3. Shop for non-perishables

There are bound to be items on your meal plan shopping list that can be bought in advance. You do not want to be hopping from store to store on Christmas eve looking for that specialty ingredient. You can also stock up on specials in advance, which will help the budget.

Buy your alcohol and drinks in advance and have it all delivered. There’s no need to brave the crowds and lug heavy bottles from the shops. Check out Get Wines Direct for a great selection.




4. Batch cook and freeze for busy days

If you have family coming to stay, lots of social activities planned or just for when the kids are being impossible, it will be a dream to just pull a meal out of the freezer. It will also save you some money as takeaways reign this time of year. Batch cook and freeze a few meals now to save your sanity and dollars later.

Check out this great selection of freezer friendly recipes:

5. Shop online for gifts

If you are still shopping at the shopping centre/mall for Christmas gifts, please stop! There is really no need to drag along tantruming kids, wandering from store to store through crazy Christmas shoppers. Shop online now, then watch the pressies come rolling in over the next few weeks. Perhaps make a plan to purchase one gift every night as you settle down on the lounge once the kids are asleep. Or one gift on your lunch break each day.

Many online stores now offer free postage and gift wrapping.

If buying presents for the men in your family is mission impossible, check out our handy manly gift guide. The best bit is, all the gifts are under $50!

Here are our favourite stores for hassle-free online shopping:

  • Mumma Hack shop – our new shop has some lovely items for new mums.
  • For 500+ quality homewares, as well as baby and kids items, check out Zanui.
  • You’ll find beautiful linens, homewares and kids items at Adairs.
  • For the man that has everything, check out DadShop.
  • Fun and unique personalised kids items from Hippo Blue.
  • Lots of stocking stuffers and Christmas decorations at Crazy Sales.
  • If you need to send a gift interstate, forget paying exorbitant postage rates and have an amazing edible bouquet from Taste Buds delivered for free, directly to the recipient.

And whilst you’re at it, remember to grab something for yourself, like these amazing beauty boxes from Bellabox. They also do great gift boxes!

6. Create a gift wrapping station and get wrapping

If you have the space to create a gift wrapping station in the study or spare room, this will save you so much time. Instead of pulling out everything every time you need to wrap a gift, it will all be ready and waiting for you. This also means you can wrap gifts as they arrive, so it’s not a mammoth task the days before Christmas getting everything wrapped at once.

7. Put in your Christmas orders

Get in early for all your Christmas orders/suppliers. If you are set on a specific cake maker or cleaner, now is the time to call them, before their books are full. It really does take a team to get Christmas off the ground!

Remember to include:

  • Butcher for your turkey or specialty meats
  • Bakery/patisserie for cakes and sweets
  • Fish monger for the seafood spread
  • Florist for flowers and centrepieces
  • Cleaner for a general clean and for specialty cleans such as the oven
  • Gardener to get the lawn trimmed and yard party-ready
  • Decorator/handyman to hang your Christmas lights and decorations
  • Order your tree now!

8. Write your greeting cards

Aim to have your cards ready for postage by 1 Dec. That means messages written, sealed in envelopes, postage stamps on and ready in a pile by the door, ready to be posted. Then it’s just a quick drop off on your way to work and they’re done.

9. Create crafty items

If you love Christmas craft but it becomes more of a chore than a pleasure the closer to Christmas you get, create them now. A personal touch will make the day super-special. You can create table settings, centrepieces, wreaths, homemade gifts, tree ornaments, wrapping paper and advent calendars.

Here are some great sites for inspiration:

10. Create busy boxes for the kids

To give you some space during the mad Christmas rush, create some busy boxes for your kids so they can have some ‘independent play time’. Busy boxes are just a selection of items to keep your kids engaged for half an hour or so. It’s great to include new items so that they take their time exploring. Create a few so you can rotate them that week before Christmas.

Here are some great sites for ideas on what to include:

 

What are you doing to make Christmas stress-free? Leave us a comment below.

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Mumma Hack.

30 Comments

  1. 1 December 2016 at 5:50 AM

    Thanks Kimi. Yeh, I just can’t do the shops, especially at Christmas. Thanks for reading 🙂

  2. 30 November 2016 at 6:40 AM

    I love these tips! Budgeting is a must for sure, and I love shopping online too…so much easier!

  3. 29 November 2016 at 7:54 PM

    It’s so easy to get carried away at Christmas!! Thanks for reading Lydia 🙂

  4. 29 November 2016 at 5:49 AM

    The budget is really important – it’s amazing how much you spend, even when you’re aware of it!

  5. 8 December 2015 at 6:50 AM

    Thanks Kristin 🙂 Gift wrapping is really one of those things you love or loathe!

  6. 7 December 2015 at 10:53 PM

    These are great. I seriously need to get the ball rolling for gift wrapping. I’m behind!

  7. 4 December 2015 at 10:20 PM

    It’s getting very close!! I’m sure you’ll be fine 🙂

  8. 4 December 2015 at 12:49 PM

    Oh no – now I realise how many things I have to get done in the next few weeks! Thanks for laying it all ort for me 🙂

  9. 26 November 2015 at 8:12 PM

    Thanks Sonia 🙂 It’s really creeping up quickly, isn’t it!?

  10. 26 November 2015 at 7:08 PM

    AWESOME TIPS! Thanks for the boot up the bum I very much needed to get into gear lol xx

  11. 24 November 2015 at 1:00 PM

    Thanks 🙂 Glad you found it useful.

  12. 24 November 2015 at 12:59 PM

    Good one! Sounds like you’re already on track.

  13. 24 November 2015 at 12:58 PM

    Thanks Alexandra 🙂

  14. 23 November 2015 at 5:55 PM

    Great tips! I wish I had batch cooked and froze for busy days this weekend!

  15. 23 November 2015 at 7:58 AM

    I try to be as organised as this, but something invariably ends up delayed.
    Having said that, we’ve already bought some presents and just today we bought some freezer items for Christmas!
    #coolmumclub

  16. 23 November 2015 at 12:31 AM

    Great tips! Totally need to bookmark this. 🙂

  17. 22 November 2015 at 9:29 AM

    Thanks Rebecca 🙂 It’s all those little things that add up.

  18. 22 November 2015 at 9:26 AM

    Thank you! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it.

  19. 22 November 2015 at 9:25 AM

    Planning is so important – otherwise it’s all stress and panic.

  20. 21 November 2015 at 8:45 PM

    Now the busy boxes for the kids is a nifty idea. I think Christmas is all planning – all the things you’ve listed basically. If you don’t want to get stressed anyway.

  21. 21 November 2015 at 6:50 PM

    I would LOVE to be this organised!!! Some amazing advice…I am assigned to reading the ‘evens’ but this ‘odd’ number linked up to #coolmumclub I had to take a peek at…thanks for linking up with the rest of the #coolmumclub x MMT

  22. 21 November 2015 at 5:03 PM

    Great list of planning ideas. I hadn’t thought of budgeting in stamps, Christmas cards and other non-gift items!

  23. 21 November 2015 at 9:33 AM

    Thanks Amy 🙂 Meal planning any time of year is great, but especially at Christmas.

  24. 21 November 2015 at 9:32 AM

    Thanks Christine 🙂 Being organised makes it all so much easier.

  25. 21 November 2015 at 8:55 AM

    I love these! Great ideas. I love being organised. I do a gift list but that’s it so far. Better get on it!

  26. 21 November 2015 at 8:30 AM

    Great ideas here- i need to get meal planning!

  27. 21 November 2015 at 7:23 AM

    Thanks Talya 🙂 Only just over a month to go… ahhhh!!!

  28. 20 November 2015 at 10:21 PM

    Wow these are some great tips! I am totally not in the Christmas zone and really need to be so this has got me thinking. Thanks so much for linking up to #coolmumclub! x

  29. 20 November 2015 at 9:01 PM

    Haha. I’m one of those crazy people that actually enjoys gift wrapping, so I look forward to it 🙂

  30. 20 November 2015 at 8:14 PM

    Great tips – love the gift wrapping nudge! That’s what gets me in the end…

Leave a Reply to Sonia Life Love Hiccups

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.