It's the weekend before the "official" start to the holidays, and I'm bound and determined to be more organized this year. I rarely have the luxury of shopping early, but there are other things I can do to make the next 5 weeks go a little more smoothly than they have in the past.
Today's Small Thing is to get a head start on your holiday preparations. Earlier in the week, we thought about ways to enhance our family traditions, but today I would like to get down to the nitty gritty of actually completing a task that might get left to the last minute.
For example, with a houseful of guest coming next week, and not enough beds or bathrooms to go around, I will be putting some guests in the master bedroom. A horrifying thought! The master bedroom is usually the dumping ground for all the stuff that gets moved out of the rest of the house! But I really do not have any choice. That means that the clutter I don't normally care about will have to get shoved into someone else's closet, and I don't want to be doing that an hour before they arrive. I need at head start on it if I have any hope of pulling it off.
Some of you will be traveling next week and won't have to worry about cleaning your house. (Lucky!) But it still means that you will be packing and making sure people have socks and underwear to last. And no one wants to be shopping for shoes that you just realized Junior outgrew and won't have anything to wear but holey socks to the Thanksgiving feast. Give yourself a head start by making a checklist of things to pack, things to purchase, and things to bake so you won't be running around at the last minute.
Here are some other head start ideas that will help us fight our Procrastinating Tendencies:
- Check your pantry supply for baking items. I'm out of shortening and low on flour.
- Purchase "extra" things like butter, eggs and milk for the extra pie or dessert you forgot to make.
- Wash sheets and towels so they are ready to go before company arrives.
- Wash sheets and towels so you have something clean to come home to from your trip.
- Bake and store what you can, if you can keep from eating goodies ahead of time.
- Clear out space in your freezer for leftovers.
- Purchase storage containers so they are ready for duty after the Big Meal.
- Assess tablecloth/centerpiece/serving dish situations: do you have what you need? I just realized that I only have 8 glasses for 35 people coming over.
- Polish silverware (or buy plastic ware)
- Start a Christmas Planner Check out Ribbonwood Cottage for some incredible ideas!
Ticking even one item off your list will help you relax and enjoy the next few weeks. I want to be joyful and grateful, in spite of our tight budget and time constraints, and being proactive will get me going in the right direction.
POINTS: 60 for giving yourself a head start by DOING one thing that you're tempted to procrastinate
Share your ideas! What can you do NOW that will make a difference later?
