Between the warm summer temperatures and the current situation with COVID-19, it may be difficult to think about the upcoming holiday season.
However, now is the perfect time to get started with your holiday preparations. After all, you’re likely still spending most of your time at home, and chances are good you’ve caught up on your Netflix watch list, baked plenty of banana bread, and tackled several projects around the house. Thus, you need some other tasks to keep you busy.
Yes, the winter holidays will be quite a bit different this year, and Christmas and Hanukkah may not be celebrated the way you’re accustomed. But by starting your planning now, you’ll not only help to pass the time but will also be well-organized and ready when the holiday season arrives.
Consider the following ways you can prepare:
1. Go Through Your Decorations
If you have more ornaments than you have room for on your Christmas tree, or you have boxes upon boxes of tangled up strands of lights that may or may not work, now is a great time to go through your holiday decorations to get them organized.
To prevent you from feeling overwhelmed, experts suggest scouring through a bin or two at a time, donating anything you no longer wish to keep and/or getting rid of items altogether that have seen better days. After sorting through all your ornaments, lights, and wreaths, put the items you plan to keep into well-labeled boxes. This way, when you’re ready to decorate, you won’t wind up spending hours trying to find everything in a crowded garage or attic.
2. Rethink Your Gift-Giving Traditions
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit a lot of people hard financially. Between lost jobs, pay cuts, and/or furloughs, plenty of people have less money in the bank than usual. If this is true for you and your family, then it’s a good idea to give a heads up to your friends and relatives that you’ll be doing things differently this year from the standpoint of gift-giving. While still undoubtedly disappointing for you and your friends and loved ones, having these conversations now will make it easier to enjoy the holiday season and keep the drama and hurt feelings to a minimum.
3. Plan Your Holiday Card
Summer is also an ideal time to plan and purchase your holiday cards. Rather than wait until the hustle and bustle of the holiday season to gather everyone together for a hastily-taken family photo, use the time you’re spending together to get some great photos and then place your holiday card order early.
Of course, you can order Christmas cards any time of the year from any number of online retailers. For example, visit Minted.com to check out their 2020 card selection from the comfort of your home and have your order delivered directly to your door. When the holiday season is in full swing, you’ll be so glad you already have your cards ordered and ready to go. Plus, you can also use your time in quarantine to start addressing the envelopes.
It’s Never too Early to Start Your Holiday Planning
Regardless of how and where you’re able to celebrate the holidays this year, know they’re still meaningful occasions that can bring you and your family joy — even if they’re not quite the same in 2020. By using these long days at home to get a head start on your planning, you’ll not only help to stay busy during your time in quarantine but will also enter the holiday season in a calmer state of mind.
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