Getting Organized for an Unusual Holiday Season
We realize it’s almost cliche at this point to say, “the holidays will look different this year”, but well – they will 🙂 Families who you may usually see in person may be over Zoom instead, large holiday parties will likely be skipped, and after many challenging months you are bound to be entering this season a bit worn down. We’d like to offer a few tips to help keep spirits bright and organized.
Make A List and Check it Twice – Sooner rather than later make a master list of everyone that you plan to give a gift to this year (big or small) – presents for immediate family or homemade items such as baked goods for neighbors. It may feel stressful to start this list, but taking it out of your mind and onto paper will help you from forgetting someone and give you a starting point if you haven’t started shopping.
Mail Delays – Once you have your list, identify anyone who you need to mail something to and prioritize getting this done first. There is always increased mail volume around the holidays and this year there is bound to be even more. Plan ahead and leave yourself plenty of time to ship whatever needs shipping. This thinking applies to holiday cards as well if you plan to send those.
Store Pick-Ups – To avoid making several trips to many different stores plan ahead. Take stock of your wrapping supplies and make a list of what you need to stock up on. Do the same with your baking ingredients – since most of these items are shelf stable, you can stock up early and avoid crowds. This may be the year to risk “over-buying” if it’s something you’ll be able to use in the future one way or the other.
Overall, the name of the game for achieving a low-stress and SAFE holiday season this year is to plan ahead and act early. We hope implementing a few of these tips will set you up for success.