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Can you believe we’re officially 100 days away from Christmas!
That might sound like a lot of time, but trust me—it will fly by in a whirlwind of shopping trips, school plays, last-minute wrapping, and festive food. The good news is, with a little planning now, you can enjoy a calmer, more joyful December.
Here are 10 things you can do today to get organised for Christmas:
1. Start Your Christmas Budget
Before you buy a single gift or book a festive outing, decide on your budget. Break it down into categories—gifts, food, decorations, outings, and “extras” (like Secret Santa or teacher presents). Knowing your numbers early helps you stay on track and avoid that January money hangover.
Bonus Tip – this year we’ve taken the pressure off the budget this year by decluttering and doing little side hustles since January, then putting the money earnt into a Chase super saver pot (with inflated interest) for Christmas.
2. Create a Gift List
Jot down everyone you’d like to buy for, including the “easy to forget” people—teachers, neighbours, work colleagues. Start brainstorming gift ideas now, so you’re not panic-buying socks and candles on Christmas Eve. You can keep this list year to year and adjust it.
Bonus Tip: This handy Christmas Gift List App helps you track your budgets, ideas, what you’ve bought and wrapped. The only issue I’ve found is there is no way to change the currency of the app so everything is tracked in USD but I look past this as no other apps compare.
3. Declutter Before the Decorations
Take some time to clear out toys, clothes, and household bits you no longer use. Not only will this make space for incoming gifts and decorations, but you’ll feel lighter heading into the busy season.
Bonus: You can frame this to your kids that you’re gifting toys to the elves to fix up for other children. You can also sell the toys as lots of people are buying second hand toys to gift at Christmas.
4. Order Your Advent Calendars Early
Popular ones sell out fast (especially personalised or luxury versions). If you want something special for the kids—or yourself—snap it up now.
Bonus: Create your own advent calendars using Christmas books that you can re-use year after year. Wrap them up this year before you put the wrapping paper back in the loft to gift yourself time next year.
5. Stock Up on Essentials Slowly
Add one or two Christmas staples to your weekly shop.
Think: wrapping paper, sticky tape, batteries (a Christmas Day essential!), and non-perishable festive food like cranberry sauce or chocolates. By December, your cupboards will already be party-ready without the costs hitting you in one go.
Bonus: Create a Christmas morning box/crate with batteries, screwdrivers, rubbish bags etc. to save the Christmas day scramble. Dedicate a basket in your kitchen for Christmas foods so you can avoid the “can I eat this?” question.
6. Plan Your Calendar
December fills up quickly with parties, markets, nativity plays, and family visits. Get a wall calendar or use a shared digital one so the whole family knows what’s coming up. Book any tickets or reservations now while there’s still choice.
7. Think About Christmas Cards
If you send cards, order them early—or consider going digital this year. Want to save time? Print address labels or set aside a “card writing evening” with festive music and a glass of mulled wine.
Bonus idea: We typically send a photo to friends and family and donate a Christmas lunch each to a local homeless charity. We have big families so this saves me 3 hours writing cards, plus the cost to post or time to deliver them!
8. Decide on Your Christmas Day Plans
Who’s hosting? What’s the menu? Will you be travelling? Nailing this down early avoids last-minute stress and makes it easier to book travel, order food, or delegate tasks.
Bonus: If you’re hosting check out my Christmas Dinner, Made Easy post to help spread out the preparations
9. Start a Wrapping Station
Gather scissors, tape, tags, and gift wrap in one box or basket. That way, when you do start wrapping, you’re not turning the house upside down hunting for the tape dispenser.
Bonus: Last year I invested in some handy wrapping paper holders like these which slashed my wrapping time. They hold a roll of tape too!
10. Create a Christmas Hub
Whether it’s a notebook, a spreadsheet, or a dedicated app—keep all your Christmas notes in one place. Budget, gift list, menus, shopping lists—it’s your festive brain dump, and it will keep you sane.
You can pick up some great Christmas Organisers for this but there’s no need to spend a fortune. They’re great for prompting areas you might want to think of. I keep my notebook in my Christmas day box and use this to write a list of thank you messages I need to send to family for gifts we’ve received.
Bonus: I’ve already shared my handy app for tracking gifts but my family also love Giftster for tracking ideas or wish lists
Wrap Up
The earlier you start, the calmer you’ll feel. Imagine walking into December with your gifts nearly done, food planned, and no frantic late-night wrapping session in sight. That’s the gift of getting organised now.
So, are you ready to start your Christmas prep today?
Love, Jo-Anne x
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