According to the lyrics of a song by Andy Williams, Christmas is the “most wonderful time of the year.” The song talks about the joys of children, parties, and family togetherness. It sounds almost too good to be true. The destination of a relaxed season of joyful celebration with family and friends is a good goal, but what does it look like and how does a woman get there?

Personal Story

My favorite Christmas memories center on family relationships. We love spending Christmas vacation visiting, playing games, putting puzzles together, watching movies, bundling up and going on walks in the snow, and enjoying good food while we visit. The time away from our normal routine is refreshing. It took me a few years to figure out what I could prepare ahead of time to help our break be more relaxing for me. Taking the time to plan made a positive difference in making Christmas wonderful for our family.

Lists

If you have read my blogs, you know that I am a list-maker. Lists help me get all the ideas out of my head so I can start to make sense of them. My Christmas planning list often starts like this:

• Gifts- budget, who, why, wish lists, where to buy, when to buy, when to wrap, send, or give
• Food- menu, grocery list, shopping, preparation lists, prepare ahead, prepare day-of
• Supplies- cards, wrapping paper, batteries, decorations
• Travel plans- Who is going or coming where, when, and for how long
• Christmas picture- search this year’s photos or take a current snapshot
• Christmas card or letter- physical copy or email
• Activities- with family, friends, church, school, work parties, etc.

Weekly Goals

Plan a focus for each week.

1. Week 1- Brainstorm what you want Christmas to look like for your family by making lists.
2. Week 2- Make a detailed budget, recipient, and gift idea list. Get comments from your family.
3. Week 3- Make tentative travel or guest invitations. Keep a list of guests and their itinerary.
4. Week 4- Search photos for Christmas photo or schedule photography session.
5. Week 5- Write Christmas greeting. Print physical copies or prepare emails. Update addresses.
6. Week 6- Plan menus, grocery list, shop for Thanksgiving menus, and prepare make-ahead items.
7. Week 7- Thanksgiving: prepare food, enjoy family time, and plan a few activities for December.
8. Week 8- Purchase supplies and shop for or order gifts.
9. Week 9- Shop and wrap. Mail packages to distant gift recipients.
10. Week 10- Complete your last shopping and wrapping.
11. Week 11- Christmas is here. Enjoy celebrating Christ’s birth with your family and friends.

Work toward keeping your life as simple as possible. Practice saying “no” to some good things so you can say “yes” to the best, most important priorities. Remember to guard your time for yourself. You need to do the basics of daily consumption of good nutrition, getting adequate sleep, and doing regular exercise. This will result in reaching your destination of a wonderful Christmas season.

May God bless your healthful endeavors!

Joni

P.S. Please encourage others by writing about your Christmas destination in the comment section above.