Start Preparing For Christmas Next Year

  Wait! What? I know, I know what you're thinking, "Girl, we just got over Christmas!" Or some of you are what we could call "recovering" from Christmas. 

However,  this is what I want you to think about. How can I make my holidays less stressful? Well, I have a bunch of solutions. I can help. 

There are alot of things you can start doing now to help ease some burdens and lessen the stress so you can actually enjoy your upcoming holidays. 

The first I can think of is this: start putting a little  money back out of each paycheck. Don't spend it. By the time Christmas comes, you will have enough to do your shopping. 

Here is a major tip. I use to work in retail in a department store for years. We ran alot of different sales through the year. The thing is, we ran the same sales as Black Friday Sales. Yes, you heard that right.  Let me repeat that. They run the same sales all year long that they do on Black Friday. So my point is, yes you can save money by getting it on sale, but why wait for one day? Watch the sales from you're favorite places to shop, go ahead and pick up one or two gifts at a time. Maybe more, I don't know your monthy budget. Point being, pick up a few gifts maybe a month when they come up on sale, go ahead and wrap them and hide them. If you have trouble remembering who you got what, make a list and hide it as well. Same applies to buying for your children's or coworkers Christmas parties and goodies. Prepping kids goodie bags for school parties is time consuming, so get a head start. 

You have saved money, got some shopping done,  and saved time by going ahead and wrapping them or preparing them. Now, isn't that smart? 

As far as meals go. I love to start on the first part of November preparing meals and goodies. The way I do this is, double a recipe and eat one now and put the other up for that holiday meal. The majority of casseroles can be pre-made and frozen. Side dishes the same way. I make alot of casseroles and side dishes and I will double it. We will eat one for a night's meal, and I will freeze the other. If I do this several times, with different items, my holiday meals are already cooked. Now, some things just taste better fresh so plan accordingly. When it is time for that particular holiday meal,  take it out of the freezer and let it thaw. Place in warm oven until you are ready to go. 

If you have items that need to be made fresh the day of the meal, you need to plan it out. 

Doing this made things so much easier for me because for years I had 3 family dinners and church potluck dinner to make meals for. There were times I was in my kitchen cooking  from the time I woke up until it was time to go. I would be so tired, sore, cranky, you name it, that I couldn't even enjoy the fellowship. I said, "No more!" 

Maybe come up with some crockpot and instant pot meals. Pour those ingredients in and walk away. This is particularly good on Christmas morning. You can make a crockpot casserole and it can be cooking while you're enjoying your morning with the family opening gifts. 

Basically, anything you can buy, prepare or make all throughout the year, makes it so much easier before the holiday. 

Sit down and think of all the ways you can start getting ahead and crossing things off your to do list. Early, early, early is the key. Do not wait until the last week or down to the minute. This will cause you more stress (which defeats our purpose) and you will once again not enjoy your time with family for the holidays. 

So go ahead and start looking for sales, pick up things here and there and stash them, put back money and I promise, you will be glad you did. 

If you would like to see some video versions of this post, here are a few of them from our channel 

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Other affiliate links for your shopping experience:

Dollar Tree:

I love Dollar Tree and in case you didn't know, you can order from their website online. This is a great feature for anyone who might need to order multiple quantities of something. Perfect for Schools, Daycares, Churches, Nursing Homes, etc. You can find all you need in one place and have it delivered right to your door and you can shop in the comforts of your own home. You can get to their website by clicking here

Nutri Mill:

Nutri-Mill: Stand Mixers and Grain Mills: ( use Code: 4DFARMS20 at check out) If you are interested in grinding your own grain into flour to turn into the most nutrient-dense bread ever, then you need a grain mill. I love my Nutri Mill Classic Mill. They also have the best stand mixers. You can also purchase grains from them or you can find some on Amazon too. I have a few companies in my Amazon Storefront , who carry Non-GMO grains. You can order any size pounds you like and have them delivered to your home. Look for them on my Kitchen Essentials List along with all of my bread-making utensils, pans etc., that I personally use in my own kitchen to make delicious bread with. Link to my Amazon Storefront is above. 

Smokers and Grills for the guys:

PIT BOSS Outdoor Smokers and Grills: are the smokers and grills my guy uses to smoke and grill all of our meats. He even has some videos on our YouTube channel of how he smokes and makes a lot of our meats. He has even smoked eggs before. Yes, EGGS. They were so delicious. One of these bad boys is the perfect gift for anyone who loves to grill or smoke meats. Check them out. 

Bentgo:

If you are into lunch-making and meal-prepping for you or your kiddos, you have to check out Bentgo for all your lunch making needs. Lunch boxes, water bottles, backpacks, utensils and other lunch making accessories: They are not just for kids, They have a line of adult items as well and you can have then personalized now. This is awesome. I have a playlist of Lunch Making Videos on our YouTube Channel. Link is above. 

TideWe:

If you are the hunter or huntress in your family, check out TideWe for all your hunting gear for guys and gals: Most of our hunting seasons are in the fall and winter and their line of insulated hunting gear is one of my favorites. We also love their hunting blinds for ultimate concealment. Be sure to visit them. We have a Hunting Playlist on our channel as well. 

Optics Planet, Inc.:

Since we are avid hunters, we rely on ammo, gun parts and scopes to be accurate and on point. You can visit their website here and find all your essentials 

Garden Tower Project:

If you are a gardener and love those flowers, herbs or veggies, but you don't have the garden space, then consider going vertical on your porch or balcony to save space. You can check out Garden Towers here I know you will find something there you like. 

Have a Blessed Day

Tracy 

Keeper of the Home