Simplify Christmas: Make a List AFTER Christmas

Make yourself a cup of tea or hot cocoa and settle in to write some notes to your next Christmas self! (Most of this applies to any holiday: Hannukah, Kwaanza, Eid, etc.) Get a cheap notebook and write down your insider’s tips for next year.

1.  Do you need more lights? What kind? How many and where will you use them?

2.  Do you need more wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbon, or cards?

3.  Do you need more dishes? Glassware? Serving dishes?

4.  Do you need any particular decorations that you want to make or buy?

5.  Which food items disappeared the most quickly? Should you make more next time?

6.  Which food items did you make too much of?  Should you make less or make something else?

7.  Who did you forget to get a gift for until the last minute?  Put them on your gift list now. Did you spend too much on a particular person’s gift? Note the amount you think is better to spend on them next time. We all like to be generous, but if you give gifts that are too expensive, the receiver could be embarrassed or feel their gift to you was not good enough.

8.  Who did you forget to use a current address for on a card. Update the list now.

9.  Which activities were enjoyed the most and which could be skipped next year?

10. Did you go over your holiday budget? Should you increase it next year or can you cut some expenses?

11.  Which charity do you want to include in your holiday budget next year?

12.  Who do you want to include in your holiday activities next year?
13.  How much wine and spirits did you actually use? How much should you get next year of each kind? Other beverages?
14.  Did you have enough appetizers? Ice Cream? Whipped cream?
15.  What worked well for breakfasts and lunches?

A Basket Chest to Hold a Cooler

16.  Oven scheduling problems? Change the menu to make it work?
17.  Refrigerator space problems? Can a cooler work as an extra fridge? We put pies in a car outside, but the temperatures have to cooperate with that! You could hide a cooler in a big basket chest if you like, but baskets that size can be expensive. Maybe watch for a good sale on a basket this year? Personally, I don’t have a problems with a cooler showing, but some do.
18. House guest needs: enough pillows? blankets? towels? Make any notes about problems with guests’ needs.
19.  Do you have holiday decorations you don’t use anymore? Donate them to GoodWill, etc. or see if other family members would like to have them. Clear them out! It will make storage and organization  after the holidays so much easier.
20.  If you decide to stop giving gifts to certain people, let them know in about a month in case they shop year round. Find a way to say it nicely, perhaps mentioning that you are trying to simplify your holiday and  to give more to charity. Note who you told to be sure.

I realize this is a lot. You don’t have to do it all at one time. I find it easier to do it when it’s fresh in my mind. You can ignore this list and just jot down the things that come to mind. Be sure to put the list where you will find it. I put it in the box of decorations that I usually open first. Or maybe you’d like to save it on your computer or smart phone. Whatever works for you. Trust me, you will be glad you did this. Not that next year will go perfectly, but if you do this each year, you holidays will go more and more smoothly.

At this point you might feel you really want to simplify to the max. One year we decided to skip it all & took a wonderful tropical vacation. We enjoyed the trip a lot, but we missed our “real” Christmas with all our traditions. We decided to go back to having Christmas as usual & save the trips for other times. We just love Christmas too much!

Any holiday problems you’d like to share? What worked well for you?