**This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Very.co.uk**
Does anyone else feel like Christmas comes quicker every year? The school summer holidays come to an end, and BAM, the Christmas goodies are in the supermarkets already. If you’re a parent, the first sight of anything Christmas-themed when out shopping means the questions begin:
“Can I add this to my Christmas list?”
“When are we putting the tree up?”
“Can I have a hot chocolate in a Christmas mug?”
For me, this year feels a bit different, because after years of renting, we’ve finally moved into our first owned home. It means we can finally make the house feel properly ours for the festive season!
Christmas has well and truly landed at Very.co.uk, and I’ve teamed up with them to share my Done by December checklist: a few simple things that I plan on getting organised before December arrives, giving us more time to enjoy the fun, festive stuff as a family – without the stress!
1. Give the bedroom a festive refresh
I love making the house feel cosy as the evenings get darker and colder, and the bedrooms are a great place to start. Sometimes, even a simple change of bedding can be a great way to start introducing the Christmas spirit to your home.
When it’s cold and dark outside, snuggling under Christmas bedding, hot chocolate in hand, helps create that cosy feeling and gives you a seasonal touch that you can enjoy throughout the winter months, rather than waiting until December.
2. Introduce Christmas decor gradually
Often, the Christmas decorating ends up happening in one frantic weekend in December. It’s a mad rush of finding everything in the loft and garage, untangling the lights, trying to get the artificial tree looking vaguely decent…and it’s stressful!
This year, I’m introducing Christmas decor bit by bit, adding a few festive touches here and there. Our son loves this approach, too – he comes home from school to see a new addition to the living room and his eyes light up!
A pre-lit garland is a great starting point, adding a festive touch to your fireplace, along with a beautiful, warm glow that creates a lovely setting for cosy evenings at home.
3. Get ready for festive hosting
This has to be one of my favourite times of year for food. The Christmas party food is already starting to make its way into the supermarkets…and obviously we have to work our way through some of the options in advance of December so we can work out what’s worth serving to festive guests! Well, that’s my excuse anyway…
And if I’m serving up festive food before December, I’m decorating appropriately. I’m not going the whole hog and creating an entire Christmas table, just adding a few touches that make the meal feel a little more Christmassy.
If you’re planning on hosting guests over the festive period, now is also a great time to check that you have enough plates, cutlery, glasses and serving dishes, as well as places for people to sit.
4. Embrace those cosy evenings!
With the sun now setting earlier, we love spending an evening curled up on the sofa with soft lighting, cushions and throws, a festive film, a hot chocolate and seasonal snacks.
I’m keen to make our living room a place where we can all sink into the sofa and relax comfortably for a few hours (although I have a tendency to fall asleep halfway through the film if I’m *too* cosy!)
It’s also a good reminder that preparing for Christmas doesn’t always need to be about making lists and ticking off jobs, but simply enjoying the season. I’ve already got the hot chocolate and Christmas biscuits stocked up ready for evenings like these…
5. Start booking Christmas activities early!
There’s always a lot to remember at Christmas, even more so when you have children. The problem is that it can be too easy to get caught up in the shopping, decorating and organising, meaning you miss out on some of the great local seasonal activities that take place each year.
There’s a fine line between making the season feel magical for your family and cramming too much into every weekend in the run-up to Christmas, so I’ll be making sure just to book in for the activities that we know we’ll definitely enjoy. Those include the day the Christmas lights are switched on in town, a visit to a local Santa’s Grotto and a trip to a carol service, as well as a few festive activities with friends.
It’s also worth getting family visits booked into the diary early. Everyone has to juggle their time over Christmas, and getting dates set in stone as early as possible means you feel more organised (and less stressed!) and can start planning gifts, outings and catering early.
6. Tackle the little jobs that can be forgotten
There are lots of little things that can end up causing issues if not tackled in the run-up to Christmas.
These include things like checking your supply of wrapping paper (and tape and gift tags!), making sure there’s enough room in the freezer for all your Christmas food (it’s a good time to make a Christmas food shopping list, too), decluttering the house to make space for decorations (including the tree!) and buying the batteries you’ll inevitably need for Christmas lights and decorations, as well as any new toys or gadgets that are unwrapped on December 25th.
If you’re hosting guests this festive season, think in advance about what you’ll need: do you have enough toilet rolls? Do you need to buy new bedding or towels?
A calmer Christmas starts with preparation
I’m definitely not saying I’ll have everything done and ready by December 1st, but I do want to make the most of the first Christmas in our new home. That’s why I’m starting to get some of the practical jobs out of the way as early as possible, as well as starting to add festive touches now so that we can get into the Christmas spirit, and make time for great food, days out with family and friends, Christmas films and plenty of hot chocolate.
What about you? Do you like to start Christmas preparations in advance, or do you tend to leave everything until December? I’d love to hear your tips for helping Christmas to run more smoothly in your house!