Traditionally the 12 days of Christmas starts on the 25th December and goes until the 5th January, but those dates aren’t terribly helpful for those of us who want to get ready for the silly season.
Christmas can be so overwhelming that sometimes you need to take a step back and calmly make some plans to stop you from totally losing the plot.
We’ve put together a day-by-day plan for the 12 days leading up to Christmas to help you stay on track.
12 days to go: 13th December – Decorate
You may be one of those people who has had their Christmas tree up since the clock struck midnight on the 1st December or you may not have bothered at all this year. Either way, this is the perfect time to decorate your house so you can enjoy your decorations before you have to pack them up for the new year.
11 days to go: 14th December – Finalise gifts
Spend time going over your gift list. If you’ve bought anything online, make sure you follow it up. If you have a few purchases to make at your local shopping centre, make sure you write them down and grab them the next time you’re at the shops.
Aim to have all of your presents wrapped and under the tree by mid-December so you aren’t wasting hours driving all over town to sort out last minute gifts.
10 days to go: 15th December – Send out your Christmas cards & gifts
It really is best to send your Christmas cards and gifts as soon as possible. Having a pile of mail or stacks of blank Christmas cards cluttering up your house will only stress you out. Organise to have your post done and out the door, to leave space for the rest of your Christmas house preparation.
9 days to go: 16th December – Cull your list of social engagements
The one thing that will vastly improve your Christmas house prep, is actually being in your house as much as possible. This means cutting down on social engagements. Take a moment to go through your diary and ditch any social engagements that aren’t totally necessary. This will give you more time in your own home in the lead up to Christmas.
8 days to go: 17th December – Do a general de-clutter
A general de-clutter will make pre-Christmas cleaning a lot easier. Ditch those old magazines, newspapers, junk mail, old food from the fridge, clothes you never wear, old shoes, linen with holes in it and chargers from appliances you don’t even own any more.
7 days to go: 18th December – Stock your cupboards
Christmas is the time of year when you really want to avoid the shops, so jump online and do a big shop of non-perishable items like crackers, sauces, drinks, dry snacks and convenience meals. You want to cut down on as much last minute preparation as possible and if you can stockpile simple food items it will save you a last minute trip to the shops for olives or biscuits.
6 days to go: 19th December – Do an audit
If you’re hosting on Christmas day, you might need extra furniture to accommodate all the extra people in your house. Do a call out for chairs, folding tables, decorations and anything else you might need and sort this out well before the day.
No one wants to be driving around in a panic on Christmas Eve trying to organise outdoor chairs or a BBQ.
5 days to go: 20th December – Give the house a major clean
A quick 20 minute sprint around the house most likely won’t cut it, particularly if you’re hosting on Christmas Day. Set aside a full evening if you have the time and get the whole family to pitch in.
Clean the windows, outside areas, give the floors a decent vacuum and clean all the corners and dust the shelves you usually skip. If there’s a time when a deep clean is totally needed, it’s Christmas.
4 days to go: 21st December – Have a maintenance day
Now that your house is sparkling clean, it’s time to do a bit of maintenance. Replace light bulbs that have blown, fix broken cupboards, patch holes in the walls and make sure your house is in working order.
You don’t want to be sweltering on the day in 30 degree heat because you forgot to get your fan fixed.
3 days to go: 22nd December – Give the house a quick once over
Your house should still be fresh from your deep clean, but the days leading up to Christmas are always busy, so today is the day to give your house a quick once over.
Make sure everything is where it should be, the floors and benches are clean and perhaps put out some fresh flowers or decorations to make your space feel festive.
2 days to go: 23th December – Charge everything
Make sure all your appliances, gadgets and devices are charged and ready to use. You don’t want your camera battery to run out right when you’re recording the kids unwrapping their presents.
Also it helps to have a supply of batteries on hand for new toys. A handful of double AAs should be enough to keep the kids happy on Christmas morning.
1 day to go: 24th December – Peel & chop everything in advance
If there’s anything you can prepare in advance food wise, do it on Christmas Eve.
For example if you’re having baked potatoes, they can be chopped and prepared the day before and stored in the fridge overnight. No one wants to spend three hours chopping spuds on the day.
Article by: www.realestate.com.au (Carly Jacobs)
http://www.realestate.com.au/lifestyle/12-days-of-christmas-house-prep-edition/