INSIDE: It’s Day 2 of the 30 Days to a Stress-Free Christmas challenge! Want to have Christmas planned BEFORE December starts? Want to enjoy the mulled wine and mince pies on Christmas Eve along with everyone else? I’ve got you covered! Today’s challenge is all about your Christmas gift planning. Let’s dive in!
Welcome to Day 2 of the 30 Days to a Stress-Free Christmas challenge!
Yesterday’s challenge was all about your Christmas planning and getting everything down on paper. How did you get? Not yet seen this challenge? Check out Day 1 of the 30 day Christmas challenge here. Did the mind dumping exercise help….hopefully by now your mind is feeling a little freer?
By transferring your thoughts onto paper you’ve just made working out what you need to do a whole lot easier. You’ll find that seeing everything written down helps spark new ideas too!
So are you ready for today’s Christmas planning challenge?
Yesterday’s challenge was all about getting everything we need to make, do, plan and prepare for Christmas onto paper. Today’s challenge is very similar only this time we’re going to focus on your gift list! It’s time to get started on your Christmas gift planning. Let’s dive in!
Challenge #2: Start your Christmas gift planning…
I hate it when I have to trawl the shops trying to find last-minute gifts for everyone. It really isn’t fun being pushed and shoved and that rising panic I feel when I’m having no luck and just don’t know what to buy really stresses me out! But when I take the time to think about what to get long before I need to start actually shopping, that doesn’t happen.
Want to save yourself from last-minute panic and stress too? Be sure to start your gift shopping early! Start thinking about your gift list now and you’ll really thank yourself later.
For today’s challenge, I want you to relieve yourself of that last-minute panic by making a start on your list of gift ideas. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or complicated just a simple list of ideas will do.
In the notebook you used yesterday or on a piece of paper:
- Divide the page into four columns.
- Label them: Name; Gift Idea; Source; Price.
- Start filling it in!
- Keep it in a safe place so that you can add to it as you think of ideas.
- When you’re ready to start shopping, simply go through your list, highlight the ones you really like and make those the ones to check out first.
Struggling to get started with your Christmas gift planning or coming up with ideas?
Don’t fret! Here are a few ways to make your gift planning easier…
- Decide how many gifts you should get for Christmas and exactly who you want to buy Christmas presents for.
- Spend a few moments thinking about the sort of things the person you’re buying for likes. Ask yourself what they like to do. How do they spend their time? What are their interests? What do they talk to you about? How about what makes them happy? Or what are they passionate about? You’ll be amazed how this sparks a few ideas!
- Don’t feel your gifts have to be something you can buy from a store or online, it’s ok to do something different …how about a subscription to their favourite magazine, or a gift card for their favourite coffee shop or restaurant?
- Still stuck? Try asking their spouse or a mutual friend for ideas!
- Make a note of where to buy the gift so you’re not trying to remember where you saw it later. This has been an absolute lifesaver for me!
- Be sure to write down the price too. This helps with budgeting and making sure your spending is fair and even.
- Still do stockings for your kids (and spouse!)? Start a list of stocking ideas too!
More of a digital person when it comes to making a note of your ideas?
Try recording your ideas on your notes app on your phone instead! That way you’ll always have it with you too. Then, if you happen to see something whilst out shopping and it’s on your list, you’ll be able to get it there and then. It means you can add new ideas to your list on the go too. It makes your Christmas gift planning so much easier!
That’s it for today!
I’ll be back tomorrow with the next 30 Days to a Stress-Free Christmas challenge. In the meantime, good luck with coming up with ideas of what gifts to buy everyone! And don’t forget to check out Challenge #1 (How to Get Started on Your Christmas Planning) if you haven’t done so already!
That’s it for this post! What gifts are on your Christmas gift list this year? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time…
P.S. Get all of the Christmas challenges by email!
Want a little more accountability? Don’t forget that you can sign up to receive each challenge by email! Every day for the next 30 days I’ll land in your inbox with the next Christmas challenge. A great way to remind you to take action, you’ll also receive my FREE Ultimate Christmas Planning Checklist too!
In it, you’ll find checklists for your Christmas budget, Christmas shopping, meal planning and prepping, family traditions, planning your travel and so much more. With every Christmas planning step you can possibly think of listed, no stone will be left unturned and nothing will be forgotten!
Simply enter your email address below and I’ll send it to you right away along with the first challenge!
Did you like this post? You’ll LOVE these too!
- What to Put in Your Christmas Eve Box
- The Best Planning Tips for a Stress-Free Christmas
- Great Christmas Traditions for You and Your Family
