Are you ready for Christmas?

I absolutely love the time of year between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. From getting to spend time with my family and kids to going through our different holiday traditions, it’s one of my favorite times of year.

But it can also be pretty stressful.

I used to spend a lot of that time running around like a crazy person. Between Christmas shopping and trying to spend time with my family from all over, it was really insane. I loved it, but it was stressful! I mean, there were several years when I was still in a mall shopping on Christmas Eve, which isn’t exactly ideal for fostering the Christmas spirit. And that was even before I had kids!

At some point, I realized there had to be a better way. So I came up with several strategies for getting organized for the holiday season and they totally tamed the chaos. I’ll be going into more detail in the weeks to come, but here’s an overview of how to get started prepping for the holidays.

Prep early! I like to do a lot of my holiday prep in November, when my calendar isn’t nearly as jam packed. That way, when the holiday season is in full swing, I am free to enjoy my favorite parts of it – like going to see Christmas lights with my kids and reading Christmas books – without worrying about all the work I still have to do. And, if you’ve knocked off most of your to-do-list ahead of time, you can be more spur-of-the-moment when the opportunity arises, like watching that Christmas movie you stumbled upon on the Hallmark Channel, or even taking a short Christmas vacation.

Keep (and review) a holiday journal. Collect and organize your holiday ideas year-round. You can use a notebook, a Google Doc, a Pinterest board, or whatever works for you. I love using my Pinterest board and making categories for various holiday-related things I like to do, like cookie swaps and Thanksgiving food. But your idea log is only useful if you remember to review it at the very beginning of the holiday season, lest those aspirations wither in cyberspace. So when you’re ready to get started on your holiday planning, go through all your saved ideas and make a new list (or Pinterest board) of the ones you want to actually do this year.

Think through your planned activities. When I’m sitting down and scheduling things, I always force myself to really think about whether it will be a good experience for my family and me. For example, I’ve learned that wrapping Christmas presents with my kids is pretty stressful, so I set aside a couple of evenings after their bedtime to pour a glass of wine and get wrapping on my own. But everyone has a blast decorating the Christmas tree together, so I plan that as a Saturday afternoon family affair.

Consider where you want to be spending your time. There are only so many days in the holiday season, so we have to pick and choose what to do with our precious time. I always save a little “me time” during this period. Having a pedicure is my little reward for getting all the prep work done, and I truly enjoy reading certain books during the holidays, like Pride and Prejudice and Little Women. Also think about the organizations you’re involved in and whether you want to participate in any of their holiday events, like a cookie swap or cocktail party. And if you’re in a relationship, you might want to plan some quality time with your special person.

Set a budget and plan to save. Regardless of the size of your budget, it’s always smart to make conscious decisions about how much you want to spend on gifts, food, travel, decorations, etc., and, if necessary, make a plan for saving that money ahead of time. Thinking through where you want to spend your dollars usually leads to more thoughtful gift-giving and less buyer’s remorse when post-holiday reality sets in.

Don’t forget about your health. It’s easy to neglect your health during this time of year, but that just leaves you starting off the New Year with more work to do. So take some time to think about how you can keep yourself feeling good. For me, it’s about not eating too much sugar, but I do love to bake, so I share the treats with others. I also never miss workouts during the holidays. The exact steps will vary from person to person, but the important thing is to make a plan that you can actually stick with. Modest and doable is better than aspirational and unrealistic.

Talk about traditions. Holiday traditions are great, but sometimes we just do things because we’ve always done them. Sit down with your family/spouse/friends and talk about what you actually want to do. One decision-making trick is to have everyone list the top three things they’d be disappointed if they didn’t do, and then only do those. If any of the things on the list are really stressful, like cutting down your own tree, brainstorm a good substitute, like taking a family trip to pick out the tree and stopping for hot apple cider on the way home.

I always find that planning ahead really lets you make the most of the holiday season. It’s a time investment up front that gives you the freedom to spend your time doing whatever you want once the season is upon us. Do you have tips and tricks for making the holidays less stressful? Share them in the comments below!