Planning & Prep For Christmas

Hello friends! Can you believe Halloween is over and November is here already? Today, I’m focusing on planning for Christmas decor. I’ve got a full post for you on the process I take to prep and plan for the holiday season.  

Hello friends! It’s hard to believe that Halloween is over and it’s already November. Have you started thinking about the Christmas season yet? Some of you would say, yes and my tree is already up! Others I know will say, not until after Thanksgiving. That’s okay! It does seem to creep up on us sooner and sooner each every year. I’ve been seeing Christmas decor since the middle of October on Instagram and I for one think that’s far too early. At this rate I hope I’m not tired of it all before it even arrives. For those of you like myself who have not started to decorate yet, but are instead in the planning process, this post is for you. Below is my check list that I use each year to get started. 

Here’s the steps I follow for getting my home holiday ready:

• Deep clean the house
• Plan colors & details
• Shop for any needed items
• Unpack bins & organize
• Decorate!

Giving the house a deep clean

When it comes to decorating for the holidays, I always like to start with a clean house. When all of the bins start coming down from the attic it can get chaotic quite fast. I’ve learned over the years that if I start with a clean, decluttered space I’m much less stressed. I like to use the two weeks before I decorate to deep clean my house. It’s like spring cleaning meets the holidays! Now, I’m sure you all don’t need a list of what to clean in your homes, but in case you were curious, here is my detailed list that I follow to get out home ready for the holidays. Some tasks may not be needed, so I move right onto the next. I personally like to use the notes app on my phone to keep track, but a pen and pad work just fine. 

Foyer, Living Room, & Den

• Clean all Baseboards, staircase, & windows
• Dust walls, ceilings, lampshades, furniture, & shelves
• Clean light fixtures
• Vacuum rugs & mop hardwood flours
• Wash all linens (slipcovers, drapes, & pillow covers

Dining Room & Kitchen

• Clean baseboards & cabinets, backsplash, & countertops
• Clean appliances 
• Scrub sink & faucet (I use Barkeepers friend)
• Polish all copper cookware
• Clean all light fixtures
• Dust walls & ceilings
• Clean out junk drawer 
• Wash all chair slipcovers
• Declutter & organize hutch & buffet 
• Sweep & mop hardwood floors
• Declutter & tidy pantry

Bedrooms

• Clean baseboards, ceiling fans, & windows
• Dust walls, furniture, & ceilings
• Wash all linens
• Declutter nightstand drawers
• Lightly declutter toys & organize closets & drawers (I like to organize the kid’s clothes and remove anything that doesn’t fit anymore and swap out anything season.) 
• Vacuum rugs & mop hardwood floors

Bathrooms

• Declutter vanity and cabinets
• Clean all tubs, showers, & sinks
• Clean mirror and light fixtures
• Mop tile floors
• Wash shower curtains
• Swap our seasonal hand soaps

 

Creating A Plan For Decorating

Although I don’t start decorating until mid November, I start thinking of ideas in October. I like to keep our Christmas decor traditional and classic and I use the same ornaments and collectables every year. Because I don’t switch those items up from year to year, I like to keep things fresh with different color palettes and arrangements. Using new ribbon colors, gift wrap patterns and changing where I put things can really breath new life into our yearly decor. 

I like to pin inspiration photos on Pinterest and to save photos in my phone to use as inspiration come November. This is when I also think of things that I would like to make. As I settle on a plan, I make sure to make a note of each idea and create a list of supplies I’ll need. I usually get started with my shopping in October and I’ll start making things right after Halloween. This gives me plenty of time to create and then share those ideas here. This leads me to my next task – shopping! 

 Shopping

I like to start my holiday shopping in October. I simply tuck things away for later. To be honest, I don’t buy very much these days. I try to stay away from trendy items and those cutesy knick knack aisles at Homegoods & TJ Maxx. I like to keep things clutter free as much as possible and over the years I’ve found that I look forward to seeing the decor that I already. I like unboxing the ornaments that we’ve collected over the last 19 years, ornaments that we’ve found on our trips and that have been given to us by loved ones. I don’t decorate our tree with a different theme each year. Instead, I like to swap out ribbon and inexpensive toppers to keep things feeling new. 

Ornaments

Each year we pick out one or two ornaments for Charlie’s tree. I know I’ve said this before but his tree is my absolute favorite! It’s covered in felt and bottle brush ornaments. Each ornament is whimsical and or holds meaning for that year. Josh and I do the same with our main tree. I’ve collected mercury glass ornaments for 20 years, so I don’t buy ornaments in bulk anymore. If I come across one that I just love, I get it. Again, it’s not too often these days. In the past I’ve bought ornaments from Pottery Barn, Homegoods, Hobby Lobby, antique stores, and Etsy. I will say that the quality of the ornaments at Homegoods and Hobby Lobby has not been great lately. I love a nice glass ornament and I haven’t had great luck finding them outside of PB and local shops. Last year I did purchased a couple of boxes of inexpensive ornaments at Hobby Lobby to give Audrey’s tree a base while we collect special ornaments for her each year. Those I didn’t mind being shatterproof, but in general I usually stay away from those as they tend to not be the best quality. 

If homemade ornaments are your thing be sure to grab our free nutcracker printable ornaments or our 12 Days Christmas printable ornaments. I have several DIY ornaments planned for you all this year. I can’t wait to share those in the next few weeks ahead. I’ve got some plans for ornaments that are kid friendly and others that are more advanced. I’m excited to share those soon!

 

Ribbon & Trimmings

While I reuse ribbon from year to year, I do like to purchase new ribbon each year. I mainly do this because it’s an easy way to switch things up and keep colors combos fresh. Satin and velvet ribbon is my go-to for decorating garlands, wreaths, gifts, as well as our trees. I also purchase a roll or two of wire ribbon for decorating the Christmas tree. Charlie isn’t a big fan of change. He’s a very traditional guy, so I stick to the same ribbon on his tree each year. I did talk him into letting me add a second ribbon this year. I love that he loves his tree just the way it is. 

There are a few places that I like to buy ribbon. I usually buy ribbon from Hobby Lobby (Not the holiday section, but the sewing section), Joann Fabrics, Michaels, and Amazon. Once a month Hobby Lobby marks their ribbon 40-50% off. I like to stock up then. I’ll purchase for my decor but for gift wrapping as well. I’ve linked the ribbon I’ve purchased on Amazon below. 

I purchase garland and wreaths only as needed. Each year I assess what we have and if it’s tired, I toss it and look for something new. For garland I love shopping the outlets – Ballard Designs, Pottery Barn and Frontgate. Thankfully we have all three local to us. In the past I’ve found $120 garland for only $20. That garland is linked below. It’s pricey but it is very pretty and great quality. I also lucked out and bought our main Christmas tree for $20 at the Ballard outlet. Sadly, that tree is no longer sold but I’ve linked similar trees. This year I found a great garland at Hobby Lobby for only $23. It’s sold out currently but I’ve linked it HERE. I also picked up some whimsical star garland for only $7 at Michales that I intend on layering with our staircase garland. (Linked below.) 

Another great place to look for greenery are antique shops. The garland that I’ve used on our staircase the last couple of years came from a local shop and it was surprisingly affordable. Everyone that visits our home thinks it’s real and I love that it’s not a garland that you see everywhere, but instead unique. Don’t sleep on the antique stores, friends! There are good deals to be had. 

 

Christmas Trees

I’m a sucker for a good Christmas tree. Honestly, I’m extremely picky. Before I started a blog and shared tours, Josh and I always got a real Christmas tree. We would put it up the day before Thanksgiving, as apposed to now when I put everything up two weeks before Thanksgiving. To make things easier, I’ve opted for artificial trees. Just like the rest of my decor, I love a good bargain but I also like nice things. Josh can attest to this, ha! I found our main tree randomly at Ballard Designs in the dark corner of the clearance section as I mentioned above and I also found our small tabletop tree from their outlet for $25. It was missing it’s base, so I use a planter pot for that each year. 

I was fortunate enough to work with King of Christmas a couple of times and acquired Charlie’s flocked tree and our skimpy noble fir. This year I purchased a slim flocked tree from them to replace our old den tree. It’s just like Charlie’s tree but with warm white lights. I’ll let you in on a secret of mine. I HATE LED lights on trees. I know they’re supposed to be more efficient and last longer, but I don’t care. They put off a green tint that I just can’t get behind. I like cozy warm lighting. The last few trees that I have purchased I’ve done the lights myself. It’s a huge hassle, but I like the look so much more. Finding trees what do not have LED lights has become very difficult, so when I say that King of Christmas had put theirs on clearance with a final low price, I snatched it up. 

I also have purchased trees from Amazon and Wayfair. I’ve linked my two favorites trees from those places as well.

 

Gift Wrap

There are few things that I love as much as good gift wrap. I’m a sucker for pretty papers, ribbons, and tags. I have a couple of places that I go and know I’ll find something pretty. I love to shop JSH Home Essentials. I love her paper and tags. Dogwood Hill also has beautiful paper and stationary. We mail out their Christmas cards each year. I also have my own line of paper and tags. I do not have a new line of papers this year, but previous years are all still available HERE. My goal is to offer more this coming year and from a source with faster shipping. As I said above, I purchase ribbon from Hobby Lobby, Joann Fabrics, Michaels, and Amazon. 

 

Storing gift wrap for next year 

I like to store my Christmas wrapping paper and tags in plastic totes under the bed. At the beginning of the season I pull the Christmas paper out and place it into tall baskets where I can see exactly what I have and my year round papers going into the totes. At the end of the Christmas the Christmas paper goes back into the totes and the year round paper comes back out. Storing it in the stackable totes makes it easy to access, but also keeps the paper from getting smushed. 

Cut ribbons are stored in a basket in my office. I use pieces of cardboard cut into squares to wrap the ribbon pieces around and secure with a sewing pin. This is a great way to store and reuse those cut ribbons for next year. 

Baking

This is my favorite time of the year to be in the kitchen. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and one reason being that the food is so warm and comforting, There’s just something about pies, roasted veggies and a good baked Mac n cheese that’s so good for the soul! I like to start thinking about our Thanksgiving and Christmas menu early. What dishes and how much I make largely depends on if we’re hosting or if we’re attending. Either way, I like to get out my note pad and start writing down menu ideas. I also like to get out my cookbooks and mark with a sticky note any recipe that I want to try ahead of time. Nows a great time to test recipes and shop for supplies because there’s still time to order any pans or cooking tools that you may need. I’ve linked a few of my kitchen favorites below for you.

 

Little Extras We Love

Here’s just a few things that I have or I’m eyeballing for this coming holiday season. I would consider each of these items to be timeless and useable year after year. 

 

Unpacking Bins

Let’s get to the fun part! Josh and I like to plan ahead and schedule a full Saturday to get the bins down and to decorate. We start by going out for breakfast as a family. We then come home, turn on a little Christmas music or movie, and get to work. It’s something we do as a family that I always look forward to. Josh lugs all the bins out of the attic and I put each bin where it goes and slowly sort through them. A couple of years ago I cut my Christmas decor in half. I kept only what was timeless and of good quality and of course the things that have sentimental value. Working with less makes it more enjoyable to decorate and less chaotic. 

We usually start with the Christmas trees. Josh helps me get each tree out of its bags and up. I then work on unpacking ornaments. I like to pack ornaments according to the room they belong. Charlie has a bin for his, as does Audrey. Our family room and living room trees also have their own bins. An inexpensive way to pack ornaments is to save tissue paper and used gift wrap to wrap up glass and other fragile ornaments to store in totes. I’ve shared photos in the past, but I like to unbox all of my glass babble ornaments and place them into small baskets according to their color. This makes decorating the tree much easier. It also allows you to plainly see just what you have. It also helps to ensure that colors will be distributed on the tree in an even fashion. 

I like to keep a small box of ornament hooks, floral wire, 3M hooks and garland fasteners out while I decorate to makes easier. For years I’ve wired my ornaments to my tree branches. This stops younger children from being able to take ornaments off the tree and prevents any from falling if bumped into. It has saved many ornaments in our home over the years. 

For garland and greenery I like to use Christmas tree tote bags. I’ve linked the ones that I use below. I typically lay out our garland and floral stems on our dining room table and from there I’ll decide as I go where to hang what. 

 

Over the course of a couple days I take my time and work through the house. I take the following week to tweak things as needed. The key is to take your time and not rush. Creating a plan and prepping ahead of time can really save you from a headache once you get start. The Christmas season should be easy, enjoyable, and magical. I wish you all a beautiful and peaceful holiday season, friends!