Christmas is a month away, which means the best time to start planning for it is right now. I have to admit, I am a bit of a Christmas fanatic. I love setting the mood in my house, swapping out my cushions for Christmas themed ones, getting my presents all wrapped up and underneath the tree. Anticipating how everyone will find their gifts. But I tend to leave Christmas until the last possible minute, when instead I should be planning ahead.
There’s something magical about making a plan for Christmas. Getting yourself into that cozy, seasonal mood and getting ready to embrace the colder season. I never know where to start, with so much to do, it’s understandable to feel a little lost. Don’t worry, here’s how you make the perfect plan for Christmas with The Master Plan.
If you can’t wait to start creating your Christmas plan, sign up to our newsletter at the bottom of this article to be the first to know when The Master Plan is back in stock.
Christmas is a month away, which means the best time to start planning for it is right now. I have to admit, I am a bit of a Christmas fanatic. I love setting the mood in my house, swapping out my cushions for Christmas themed ones, getting my presents all wrapped up and underneath the tree. Anticipating how everyone will find their gifts. But I tend to leave Christmas until the last possible minute, when instead I should be planning ahead.
There’s something magical about making a plan for Christmas. Getting yourself into that cozy, seasonal mood and getting ready to embrace the colder season. I never know where to start, with so much to do, it’s understandable to feel a little lost. Don’t worry, here’s how you make the perfect plan for Christmas with The Master Plan.
If you can’t wait to start creating your Christmas plan, sign up to our newsletter at the bottom of this article to be the first to know when The Master Plan is back in stock.
1. START BY SETTING A BUDGET
Christmas is an expensive time of year, so a good place to start is by making a budget for yourself. Set your budget first, and then allocate it to different categories. Gifts, decor, food, and outfits can all fall under separate categories, and then you can track them by keeping a list of what you’ve actually spent. The Master Plan’s dot-grid layout makes creating this kind of spread super easy.
You can create a spread for yourself that not only keeps track of what you’re spending and on what but gives you an overview of your budget, so you know where you should be spending the most money on. This is a genius way of keeping everything within budget and not breaking the bank just because it’s Christmas.
1. START BY SETTING A BUDGET
Christmas is an expensive time of year, so a good place to start is by making a budget for yourself. Set your budget first, and then allocate it to different categories. Gifts, decor, food, and outfits can all fall under separate categories, and then you can track them by keeping a list of what you’ve actually spent. The Master Plan’s dot-grid layout makes creating this kind of spread super easy.
You can create a spread for yourself that not only keeps track of what you’re spending and on what but gives you an overview of your budget, so you know where you should be spending the most money on. This is a genius way of keeping everything within budget and not breaking the bank just because it’s Christmas.
2. LIST THE MOVIES YOU WANT TO WATCH
Nothing gets me in the mood for Christmas faster than a good Christmas movie. It’s the snow, the bells, the light-hearted storylines. To give yourself a break from all that gifting, make a list of movies you need to watch over the Christmas period. Start with your favorites, and then move on to a list of the movies you haven’t seen. This makes movie marathons a lot easier since you’ve already got your list ready. Search for classics you haven’t seen in a while and Christmas movies you’ve never watched before.
Some suggestions: Bridget Jones’s Diary, Love Actually, The Vacation, Harry Potter. There are so many good ones, and no doubt Netflix will have an entire section dedicated to getting you in the Christmas mood. So get your list started now, and stop that inevitable feeling of not knowing what to put on.
2. LIST THE MOVIES YOU WANT TO WATCH
Nothing gets me in the mood for Christmas faster than a good Christmas movie. It’s the snow, the bells, the light-hearted storylines. To give yourself a break from all that gifting, make a list of movies you need to watch over the Christmas period. Start with your favorites, and then move on to a list of the movies you haven’t seen. This makes movie marathons a lot easier since you’ve already got your list ready. Search for classics you haven’t seen in a while and Christmas movies you’ve never watched before.
Some suggestions: Bridget Jones’s Diary, Love Actually, The Vacation, Harry Potter. There are so many good ones, and no doubt Netflix will have an entire section dedicated to getting you in the Christmas mood. So get your list started now, and stop that inevitable feeling of not knowing what to put on.
3. PLAN YOUR GOALS FOR THE MONTH
Christmas takes up a lot of time and attention, so to save yourself time and pressure, plan your goals ahead of time and make a list in The Master Plan of everything you want to achieve.
Start by adding the month in the middle, and then create sections for the different types of goals you’re working on. Start by listing your personal development goals, then move on to educational development, work goals, and things you want to add more of to your life. Anything you think of can go here, so you’ve got a written record of what you’re working on. You can use this to plan what you’d like to achieve in 2019, track your progress in certain areas of your life, or just make a note of everything you’d like to achieve and do more of in December.
3. PLAN YOUR GOALS FOR THE MONTH
Christmas takes up a lot of time and attention, so to save yourself time and pressure, plan your goals ahead of time and make a list in The Master Plan of everything you want to achieve.
Start by adding the month in the middle, and then create sections for the different types of goals you’re working on. Start by listing your personal development goals, then move on to educational development, work goals, and things you want to add more of to your life. Anything you think of can go here, so you’ve got a written record of what you’re working on. You can use this to plan what you’d like to achieve in 2019, track your progress in certain areas of your life, or just make a note of everything you’d like to achieve and do more of in December.
4. CREATE A HOLIDAY TO-DO LIST
There is a lot to do over Christmas. And a lot to remember, from meetings, parties, drinks, gifts that need to be purchased, plans that need to be made, and food that needs to be organized. When you think about it, it might feel like a headache, but that’s why a concise holiday to-do list will help you out.
Keep important dates visible and add in anything you absolutely can’t forget and need to plan for. This way, you’ll only have to open your planner to remember that you’ve got something important to do.
4. CREATE A HOLIDAY TO-DO LIST
There is a lot to do over Christmas. And a lot to remember, from meetings, parties, drinks, gifts that need to be purchased, plans that need to be made, and food that needs to be organized. When you think about it, it might feel like a headache, but that’s why a concise holiday to-do list will help you out.
Keep important dates visible and add in anything you absolutely can’t forget and need to plan for. This way, you’ll only have to open your planner to remember that you’ve got something important to do.
5. LIST THE RECIPES YOU WANT TO TRY
Every Christmas dinner is manic. Making sure the turkey is in for the right amount of time, keeping everyone fed and ensuring they’re not hungry when the dinner is inevitably hours late. Get ahead of the game by making a list of the meals you’ll be preparing.
Create segments in your planner for each meal from starters to desserts that you’re considering, impress your guests and get everything in order and purchased well ahead of time. Also, don’t forget to collect the recipes that you want to follow, you can make a note of the name of the recipe, or cut them out and clip them in. That way, your Christmas dinner prep is ready in advance.
5. LIST THE RECIPES YOU WANT TO TRY
Every Christmas dinner is manic. Making sure the turkey is in for the right amount of time, keeping everyone fed and ensuring they’re not hungry when the dinner is inevitably hours late. Get ahead of the game by making a list of the meals you’ll be preparing.
Create segments in your planner for each meal from starters to desserts that you’re considering, impress your guests and get everything in order and purchased well ahead of time. Also, don’t forget to collect the recipes that you want to follow, you can make a note of the name of the recipe, or cut them out and clip them in. That way, your Christmas dinner prep is ready in advance.
6. MAKE A PLAYLIST
There’s nothing better than annoying everyone around you with Christmas music too early. It’s always fun to make a note of the Christmas songs you want to add to your playlist this year. Start with your old favorites and get some classics on your list, you can use this list to build a killer playlist, or if you need suggestions on Christmas Day if you’re hosting.
Every time you hear another Christmas tune, add it to the list. It’s a great way to get yourself in the festive spirit.
6. MAKE A PLAYLIST
There’s nothing better than annoying everyone around you with Christmas music too early. It’s always fun to make a note of the Christmas songs you want to add to your playlist this year. Start with your old favorites and get some classics on your list, you can use this list to build a killer playlist, or if you need suggestions on Christmas Day if you’re hosting.
Every time you hear another Christmas tune, add it to the list. It’s a great way to get yourself in the festive spirit.
7. CREATE YOUR GIFT LIST
The most important plan you can make is one for the people you love. You can create a wishlist for yourself of things you might just buy yourself during your Christmas shop, and create a list of people you’re gifting and how much you’re spending on them.
Create two tables and track the product, price, and recipient or store. Fill it in as you go along, and keep track of all your brilliant gifting ideas, so you’ll never be scratching your head wondering what to buy.
7. CREATE YOUR GIFT LIST
The most important plan you can make is one for the people you love. You can create a wishlist for yourself of things you might just buy yourself during your Christmas shop, and create a list of people you’re gifting and how much you’re spending on them.
Create two tables and track the product, price, and recipient or store. Fill it in as you go along, and keep track of all your brilliant gifting ideas, so you’ll never be scratching your head wondering what to buy.
8. MAKE A DECORATION CHECKLIST
My favorite part of Christmas is decorating. If you feel the same way, you’ll love this list. Keep track of all the Christmas decor you need to add to your house. When you think about it, there’s actually a lot. From Christmas duvets (if you change your bedspreads) to lights, wreaths, Christmas trees, ornament, and outdoor decor. Break it up into days so that you can get the house feeling warm and cozy and don’t have to rush to get anything up (or find all those decorations in the back of the cupboard or attic).
Start with the sensible, small things, and then set yourself a good day to put up the tree and all the decorations. You can also track the organization you need to do to prepare for Christmas, especially if you have guests coming over.
8. MAKE A DECORATION CHECKLIST
My favorite part of Christmas is decorating. If you feel the same way, you’ll love this list. Keep track of all the Christmas decor you need to add to your house. When you think about it, there’s actually a lot. From Christmas duvets (if you change your bedspreads) to lights, wreaths, Christmas trees, ornament, and outdoor decor. Break it up into days so that you can get the house feeling warm and cozy and don’t have to rush to get anything up (or find all those decorations in the back of the cupboard or attic).
Start with the sensible, small things, and then set yourself a good day to put up the tree and all the decorations. You can also track the organization you need to do to prepare for Christmas, especially if you have guests coming over.
GOOD THINGS
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