Slay holiday stress by getting a jump start on organization.
The best time to start holiday planning is now! Don’t let the preparation for festivities overwhelm you this year – get a head start so you can focus on celebrating later. Here’s our month-by-month holiday prep guide.
Mid-October
Write down everything you need to plan from holiday parties and cards to employee and customer gifts. Next, make a list of everything you need to decipher for each project (including budgets, guest lists, rentals, themes, supplies, menus, addresses, printers, and dates). Now you can create a timeline of due dates to complete your lists. If you have the resources, recruit a partner to help you tackle gathering the answers to all the questions. Keep track of holiday planning details in a shared drive so you and your holiday planning committee can update specifics as they change.
Due to the current shipping delays and inventory shortages, order gifts and supplies as soon as possible. Ordering early can prevent disappointment later when holdups and backorders cause items to not be received on time.
Late October
By now you need to tie a bow on any open questions. Everything you listed above should have an answer so you can start finalizing the plans. Still need to book a photographer? Time to snap that in gear. Not sure of dietary restrictions? Reach out to the stragglers who haven’t responded. With the answers to outstanding questions, you should be able to move onto the next step of booking venues, purchasing gifts, etc.
Mid-November
It’s time to focus on getting holiday cards addressed and a final headcount for your events. In mid-November, you’ll want to confirm with all of your vendors that everything is in place including payment and any outstanding details.
Late November
Your goal should be to have all your planning complete by the end of November. Gifts and cards should be in the mail and party planning should be complete. This way, if something does pop up, you have plenty of time to address it without stressing yourself out. Now you can start pulling holiday decorations out of storage, dusting them off, and replacing any old or broken items before they go up.
We know the many tasks you want to accomplish by the end of the year may look daunting now. However, with the right plan and enough time and help to execute it, you can reduce your holiday stress and enjoy the season.