Eight Days Until Christmas Checklist

With only eight days to go until one of the most anticipated (and stressful for some) day of the year, it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re organized and on the ball. With crazy work schedules and a multitude of other tasks at home to juggle, there is even less time to prepare for the holiday season this year. If you have not begun your Christmas preparations yet, now is the time to begin.

With proper activity planning and organizing, there is still enough time left to pull off a great holiday celebration. Here’s a countdown and check list to make sure everything gets done this Christmas, as well as some last minute ideas of things to do.

Day 8 – Haven’t sent holiday cards yet? You still have time if you get to it today. First, make a list of friends, relatives, colleagues and others to gauge the number of cards and stamps you need. At this point, you may also want to consider sending an electronic card or a personal email since time is of the essence.

Day 7 – If you are hosting people for Christmas lunch or dinner, make sure you send the invites out today. You can use online sites to send invitations and track RSVPs. You’ll also find some handy hosting and decorating tips at some sites, and tools to coordinate a potluck.

Day 6 – If you haven’t started decorating your house for Christmas yet, it’s time you start today. Bring down those boxes from the attic and decorate your Christmas tree with lights and ornaments. If you want to show your Christmas spirit outside your home, a wreath on the door is an easy idea, or consider putting a festive bow or lights on a tree in your front yard.

Day 5 – If your fridge resembles a museum with leftovers from days gone by, then it’s time to clean it out and take stock of what you have and what you need to buy for your Christmas meals. Hit the grocery store early in the morning to avoid lines, and so you can do some last minute gift buying for people on your list in the afternoon or evening.

Day 4 – This is the gift shopping day. Since you have the list of gifts; gift shopping will be relatively easy. Don’t be over ambitious and try to finish shopping for everyone today. If you have been scanning the newspapers, websites and outdoor advertisements on best deals and discounts; shopping will be easier.

Day 3- Wrap the gifts. You’ll have too much food-prep and cooking to do later, so get this out of the way now. Most people underestimate how much time it will take to wrap presents, so make sure you budget a few hours to do this. Time saver: pay a younger sibling, niece or nephew, or neighbor to wrap the gifts for you.

Day 2 –Time to start baking. If you are throwing a party or planning to gift cakes and cookies, it’s better if you start today. You’ll get ample time to try and test recipes, find replacements and do some re-cooking if necessary. You’ll also want to make another trip to the grocery store today and pick up any final items.

Day 1 – Food prep today will help make things run smoothly tomorrow. Make things like marinades, and sauces in advance, as well as side dishes that can sit overnight (this will also make them more flavorful). Chop up herbs and vegetables and refrigerate them so they’re good to go.

Day 0 – Hey, it’s Christmas day! We wish you a merry Christmas and hope these tips really helped you.

See you next year.