With only four weeks remaining until Christmas, the holiday spirit is in full swing. Stores are alive with festive music, and a crisp chill in the air signals that the most wonderful time of the year is almost here. It’s the perfect moment to dive into holiday preparations and make sure everything is ready for a joyful celebration. Here’s a list of tasks to prioritize during this important month leading up to Christmas.
4 Weeks Before
Decorate
Get a head start by methodically decorating your home, starting from the inside and working your way out. Focus on key elements like the tree, lights, mantels, and other festive touches.
Get Gifting
Begin creating a gift list to keep track of what needs to be made or ordered in the coming week. This will ensure everything arrives on time and give you ample opportunity to find replacements if anything arrives damaged.
- Send Invites Out Also.
3 Weeks Before
Plan The Menu and Table
As your guests begin to respond, it’s time to start planning your menu. A helpful holiday hosting tip is to create a menu that accommodates everyone’s dietary restrictions.
Prep Guest Spaces
As responses come in from friends and family, you can also begin preparing your guest rooms for Christmas, advises Guillaume Drew, luxury lifestyle expert. When getting your home guest-ready for the season, he suggests stocking up on essentials for the guest bedroom. To add a festive touch, consider curating a guest-welcome box (or stocking), filled with extra towels, bedding, blankets, and toiletries guests might forget.
2 Weeks Before
Make A Shopping List
With two weeks to go, you should have a clear idea of who will be visiting, allowing you to finalize the menu and create a detailed food shopping list.
Wrap Gifts
To stay ahead of the chaos that comes with last-minute rushes, start wrapping and labeling gifts now. Doing this early also helps prevent surprises from being spoiled, especially if you have curious children around.
Start Cleaning
Focus on cleaning critical areas of the house, preparing the kitchen for hosting, and organizing the dining room. Don’t forget to double-check your tablescape storage and give the bathrooms a deep clean.
Declutter Toys
If you have children at home, two weeks before Christmas is a great time to declutter toys. This gives you ample opportunity to donate or sell them before the influx of new toys on Christmas Day, helping reduce stress and prevent feeling overwhelmed.
1 Week Before
Put In A Food Order
A week before Christmas is the perfect time to start ordering food and drink essentials. The last thing you want to be doing on Christmas Eve is scrambling to find a turkey!
Consider Parking
You may also want to think about the parking situation—make sure to have a snow shovel on hand (available at Walmart) if you live in a snowy area!
Sort Out Last Minute Gifts
Now is the latest you should start thinking about last-minute gifts and cards to ensure they arrive on time.
2 Days Before
Start Meal Prep
anything that can be made in advance and frozen, like pies or small starters (such as spanakopita), should be prepared. If you created a solid meal plan earlier in the month, you’ll already have a good idea of what can be tackled at this point. Put on some Christmas music or a festive film to breeze through these tasks and keep stress levels at bay.
Set Up The Dining Table
If you’re setting up a dining table that isn’t regularly used, feel free to arrange linen, glasses, silverware, fancy water pitchers, hot stones for serving hot dishes, and other decorative touches to make the table feel festive and ready for guests.
1 Day Before
Prep Vegetables
This means prepping the vegetables, which can be covered overnight so all you have to do is heat them up the next day, thawing the meat, and baking desserts. Not only will this save you time, but it will also make your home smell delightful for Christmas.
Clear The Entryway
The day before is also a great time to prep your entryway, both inside and out. To get ready for Christmas guests, declutter your hallway, make space for extra shoes and coats, and place a doormat to catch any dirt or snow that’s tracked in, keeping the rest of your home clean. Outside, shovel any snow and melt ice to prevent slips, and make sure the stairs are well-lit if guests will be arriving later in the day.
