The older I get, the more I see how beneficial being organized is. These holiday organization hacks and tips we are sharing today will make your season less hectic plus more enjoyable.

After Amelia was born, I started planning ahead more for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I scaled down the things I usually did, like all the endless baking and gift giving. I focused more on the season itself so we could enjoy each moment,

This meant I had to get serious about doing things ahead of time AND getting organized overall.

Here are things I have been doing the last four years.

Holiday Organization Hacks & Tips To Make The Season More Enjoyable

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Since it is almost November, this is the perfect date to start planning and getting ready for the holidays.

Even if you are one of those people that doesn’t like to thing about Christmas at all until Thanksgiving is over, you will still love these tips.

Some of these organizing tips are mental, some are physical, but all of them play a role in having a calmer more enjoyable season 🙂

I hope you enjoy these holiday organization hacks that have helped me have a less stressful season each year.

Go Through Kids Rooms In Early November

The first holiday organization tip that has made the biggest difference for us is going through kids rooms before the holiday chaos and Christmas gift giving. First, I go through clothing and make a pile to donate. Then, I make a list of clothes they might need for Christmas. What are they lacking? What have they outgrown? Etc. Make sure you have a notepad to write down everything on so you can have it written in one place.

Next, we go through toys. We make a pile to donate and giveaway. This is a great time of year to donate things like toys too.

The last thing we do is do a nice deep clean of everything in the rooms so everything is clean and fresh for the season.

Go Through Your Room and Do The Same!

Do the same thing for your own room. During early November before the hustle and bustle starts, I go through all of our clothing and see what we might need. I do this especially for my husband because we always do clothing gifts for Christmas. Again, I make a huge donation pile of anything we are no longer using.

Make a Grocery List of All The Things You Need for Holiday Baking and Buy it Now

This has been one of the most helpful holiday organizing hacks I have started doing! Especially with the way the economy has been since the pandemic, there is sometimes a shortage of common items you need for baking. I make a list of anything I plan to bake for Christmas and Thanksgiving including ingredients, then I buy them now. This came in handy last Thanksgiving when there was a shortage of canned pumpkin at my store a few weeks before Thanksgiving! Plus, it makes things less hectic if you have everything you need.

Get Your Kitchen Ready For Holiday Baking Too

While you are at it, it is also a good idea to get your kitchen ready for holiday baking. I have a drawer dedicated to cookie cutters, festive cupcake liners, sprinkles, and anything else I will be using for Thanksgiving and Christmas. In addition, I have my kitchen island cabinets ready to go with pie tins, cupcake pans, cake pans, and all the things I normally use this time of year. Having everything easy to find and ready to go now will eliminate a lot of stress!

Make Your Christmas Gift List Now

Again, those people who don’t like to think about Christmas yet might not want to do this one lol, BUT it is really helpful to organize your holiday season by making your Christmas gift list now. This allows you to not only save time when it comes to shopping, but it can make sure you don’t overbuy or miss anything. Years when I didn’t make a Christmas gift list, I bought way too much and forget what I did buy. I make a detailed list for each person I am buying for now, and then I stick to it when I shop.

This tip not only saves time, but money too!

Make Your Christmas Card List Now Too

If you send traditional Christmas cards like I do, I recommend making your list and gathering addresses now! This makes it easy to get them out on time when you get the cards you want. If you do custom Christmas cards with pictures, I like to order them in November. The last few years, I have just used regular Christmas cards and added pictures of us inside for friends and family. I try to order prints in November too.

And if you don’t send Christmas cards, no big deal. I enjoy doing them, but many people don’t have the time, and that is okay too!

Create a Wrapping Paper Station or Space In Your House

I have a big plastic container for tape, pens, ribbon, gift tags, and bows. Then, I have a space for bags and wrapping paper. I keep it in one spot all season, then it is easy to store when Christmas is over. This also makes it more organized for my family to know exactly where everything is. I pick a spot in the house that has space and easy to get to, but you can really put it anywhere that is convenient for you. Making this space easy to get to will make wrapping and decorating packages more enjoyable too. I have a space in my craft closet with these containers for wrapping paper/bags.

Keep Up With House Cleaning Weekly Is Key To Holiday Organization Hacks

This is really an important organization tip if you plan to have guests or family over to visit, but it is also a good idea for just keeping things less hectic during this time of year. Instead of having to spend several days deep cleaning, it is best to clean now and keep up with it weekly. Cleaning 10-20 minutes every few days in a great time management tip I started years ago. I have also found it to be so helpful for the holiday season with guests popping in and out. I never have to worry about my house being dirty or messy because I keep up with it all the time. With November being close, you can start this habit now and not get overwhelmed with cleaning during the busy activities.

Decide What Activities You Want To Do As A Family Ahead of Time

It is impossible to fit every activity into this small season, so sometimes just choosing a small selection of things now and planning ahead can save you time and stress. We choose a few fun activities like going to downtown Forth Worth for an overnight stay and seeing the big tree. This year since we have a newborn our activities will be local. A few simple things like the light festival in town, going to see Santa, and maybe a Christmas tree farm. Look ahead at your town’s calendar of events and choose what you want to do now so it is on the calendar. I think doing less makes the season more happy and carefree too. We really enjoy just having a movie night and snacks as a family and soaking in the quietness of Christmas.

Lastly, It is Okay Not To Do Much

The last holiday organization hacks tip and planning is it is okay to take a step back and not do much during the holiday season. There are many years, we just declutter the house, clean, donate items, and just enjoy our decorations. Many years, I don’t do much baking. It just depends on the season of life I am in. With a newborn and a four year old this year, I am scaling back a lot on things we usually do. I still plan to do all of my cleaning, decluttering and list making because that really helps me keep the stress out of the season!

 

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