By Sinea Pies of Ducks ‘n a Row 

Do you believe this title?  “Getting ready for Christmas?”  Come on.  Are you like me when you walk into a store in October, or early November, and see Christmas decorations? Is your reaction like mine?  “Christmas! Can’t we at least do Thanksgiving first?”  I feel the pressure just thinking about it, and Christmas is my favorite holiday!

Perhaps it’s the “mom-thing”.  We moms are planners.  We like everything to run smoothly.  We want all of the bases covered — nobody left out, every event a winner.  We hate rushing around at the last minute, though it inevitably seems to happen, whether we like it or not.

If you start your planning now, it should lighten the load when the holidays do arrive.  Early preparation eases the tension later on.  Moms deserve to enjoy Christmas just like everybody else, don’t they?

So what can you do in October? 

Start with a schedule! Pull out a blank calendar, or find one online, to use for holiday planning only.  It feels good to start with a clean slate.  Don’t lay your other calendars aside, though.  You’ll need to refer to them to see what the family “must-do’s” are.  This will keep you from double-booking.

Now, write in Thanksgiving, Christmas eve, Christmas day, New Years Eve and New Years Day.  If your family also celebrates other holidays such as Chanukah, which is Dec. 20-28 this year, write that down.

Birthdays:  Do you have birthdays in October, November, December or early January.  My family has 9 birthdays, 1 anniversary, Christmas and Chanukah.  There should be a law, don’t you think?  LOL.  I love every one of them but it can get tiring, and expensive. This year my 5 year old granddaughter is dancing in the Nutcracker. Now, that will be an important night-out! 

Now that your overwhelming social calendar is set, what needs to happen?

Plan! There will be gifts to buy, cards to send, schedule-coordinating with others, food to purchase and prepare, decorations to get out and display.  How about special clothing needs? Does a winter coat or suit need dry cleaned or are there little sewing projects that have been put off way too long?  Pencil in when these things need to occur.  Use a pencil because this part of your schedule can be flexible.  You can change it, if you need to.

Think about what you can turn into a family memory.  Not everything has to be work.  The holidays are more about people than anything else. Make a little party around whatever you can to build lasting memories and warm-fuzzies, as I call them. 

Shopping! Shopping can include a stop for a bite to eat together.  How about writing out Christmas cards together at the kitchen table?  Put on some holiday music to get everyone in the mood.  Tree trimming is always a fun family event.  Finish it with a pajama party.  Everyone in the family gets on their comfiest p.j.s or sweats, grabs a fuzzy blanket, some popcorn & hot chocolate and watches a great holiday movie together! Remember to include a treat for the dog.  All of the family gets into the spirit.

When it comes to shopping, pace yourself.  If you truly enjoy going out to shop, plan it and make plenty of time to not feel rushed.  If online shopping is more to your liking, be sure to leave plenty of time for the merchandise to arrive and an exchange be made if something doesn’t work out. If you mail gifts to out-of-town relatives, that shipping time also needs to be considered.

Cookies!  What’s a holiday without decorative cookies?  Even the youngest tot can do something to be a part of the cookie baking process.  Your little ones do what they can do and you do the rest.  Make sure that everyone gets to have a hand in the decorating.  Again, you are making great memories, not just good food! 

If you have time, invite family and friends to join you for a cookie swap.  It’s a party where everyone brings several dozen of one style of Christmas cookie.   One or two dozen is brought for sampling at the party, the others you bring are your “swapping” cookies. You switch them out for an assortment of other kinds of cookies to take back home with you.  This kind of holiday party can be so much fun and much of your baking has been done by somebody else!

So, there you have it. It may be October but the New Year is right around the corner.  Get organized now and it will be easy to get into the holiday spirit…when the time comes!

Sinea Pies is a freelance writer for a popular parent magazine, social media manager and blogger.  Please visit  her website Ducks ‘n a Row and “like” her Facebook Fanpage, too.

Feel like you need more help with Christmas Planning?  You’ll love How to Have a Grocery Shrink Christmas  It is full of printable forms; recipes; gift ideas and more to help you stay organized and sane on a limited budget this holiday season.