Christmas Season Prep Checklist

Here's a comprehensive and sanity-saving Christmas Season Preparation Checklist, perfect for getting ahead of the holiday chaos—whether you’re a planner, a procrastinator, or somewhere in between. (Because a stress-free season is the real gift!)

Early-November

• Create a holiday budget

• Make/update your Christmas card list

• Book holiday travel (if needed)

• Schedule any holiday photo sessions

• Begin gift brainstorming

• Order Advent calendars (they sell out early!)

• Plan any DIY or handmade gifts

• Start decluttering your home (for sanity + space)

• Decide on holiday plans (hosting, visiting, staying put)

Mid-November

• Start shopping for gifts (Black Friday/Cyber Monday prep!)

• Make a master gift list + track progress

• Take or send out holiday card photos

• Stock up on wrapping supplies (paper, tape, gift tags, bags)

• Check lights/decorations for damage or burnout

• Prep your calendar: school events, concerts, church services

• Plan any charity giving or donation drop-offs

After Thanksgiving (Late Nov – Early Dec)

• Decorate your home (indoors + out)

• Put up the tree

• Send out Christmas cards

• Finish most of your gift shopping

• Wrap as you go—don't wait until Christmas Eve!

• Bake & freeze holiday treats ahead of time

• Plan menus for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and/or parties

• Shop for non-perishable grocery items

• Order anything custom (monogrammed gifts, food trays, etc.)

1–2 Weeks Before Christmas

• Finish all gift shopping

• Mail or deliver out-of-town gifts

• Wrap all remaining gifts

• Do the final grocery shopping

• Prep guest rooms (if hosting)

• Confirm travel or visitor plans

• Charge cameras and phones for all the memory-making

• Schedule some downtime (yes, literally put it on the calendar!)

Final Days Before Christmas

• Fill stockings

• Set the table (if hosting)

• Prep food and drinks

• Do one last tidy-up around the house

• Make a Christmas Eve box (pajamas, cocoa, movie, book)

• Breathe in. Breathe out. Enjoy it.

• Cue the music, light the candles, and soak in the joy