“Why plan Christmas in October” you ask? There are many reasons to plan early. Some do not want to even think of such horrors this early in October. In fact, many people are really annoyed by the big retailers trying to get the jump on their competitors by doing promotions just a little earlier each year. Before you know it, they are trying to sell you your Christmas tree in September. I exaggerate, but it does seem ridiculous how early it begins. That being said, there are good reasons to plan now and I have 5 that are sure to motivate you even though you’ve barely broken out your fall wardrobe.
- Time really is a factor at this point. There are only 7 weeks left until the first of December. Now if you take into account that Halloween and Thanksgiving are sandwiched in between, you realize that things really get crazy. With little ones at Halloween, you will have to dedicate a couple of days to plan costumes. They might throw tantrums about how they want to dress up as their favorite Marvel or DC superhero (click here to know more about which State prefers which one) and leave you struggling to get them ready on time! Even if those bundles of joy have outgrown the need for such fun, you may decide to throw a party. With all the planning required, you could end up dedicating an entire week to the process, saying to yourself, “where did the time go.” Thanksgiving can be just as labor-intensive. Even if it is just you and your family, creating the perfect meal and organizing activities for the extended weekend is time-consuming. If you have friends or in-laws coming to town, then you are swimming into deep water without a floaty. Realistically, you are really down to 5 before December rolls around.
- My second reason not to wait is the fact that all the prime decorations are starting to disappear. The tendency for stores to begin holiday sales earlier every year is lovingly referred to as the “Christmas Creep.” As the stores and showrooms fall into this, customers try to get a jump on the special pricing they offer and a lot of the highest quality products are gone before you’ve unwrapped that first piece of Halloween candy. Take it from me, and don’t listen to your husbands. All the good stuff will be gone by the time you get there.
- Holiday entertainment is third on our list of key factors. When you have guests over for that fabulous holiday cocktail party, you want your home to have that incredible holiday feel. To capture this, you may need to finally purchase that long delayed window treatment from firms similar to Renewal by Andersen of Greater Portland or have that beautiful old chair reupholstered. To have that ready in time for the party, you want to plan now. The process of having an Interior Designer help you complete these projects will take 1 to 2 weeks of scheduling the appointment, creating the design, having it approved and then sending it off to the workroom. The standard turnaround time for most workrooms is 4-6 weeks. This time of the year can be even longer with the holiday rush, and scheduling the install can be tricky as well. Schedules fill up really quickly this time of year, a prime reason to not delay.
- Next item on my list is the always exciting budget. Your husbands will like this one. If you plan out your finances for the holidays, you will find that dedicating a certain amount each month to a specific item on your agenda will save you in the long run. For instance, following my advice, you
- Purchase those much needed decorations in October.
- Invest in planning and design in November.
- Save December for holiday gifts and food. We know that food will eat up an entire budget on its own.
If you plan it out, you will find that you can save in the end by not making that last minute impulse buys that are so easy to do when desperation sets in, and it will, without a good plan.
- Finally, Peace of Mind! With the ideal design plan in place you can proudly say with that cocktail in your hand. I’ve done it and I can sit back and enjoy December, I spread it all out instead of losing my sanity because it’s a week before the holidays and my party is tonight and I’m in a corner with my knees against my chest rocking back and forth wondering where did it all go wrong. Leaving it all to the last minute is never a good idea, it can be extremely stressful and not good for your mental health. One of my friends always leaves holiday planning to the last minute, and she’s always so stressed out. Last year, she was regularly smoking marijuana in December to ensure she could calm herself down enough to actually organize everything. She said that marijuana will probably be essential for this year’s planning too, apparently, it was really beneficial for her. She usually smokes it through bongs that she gets from fatbuddhaglass, but they have more accessories here if anyone is interested in trying some marijuana when holiday planning. If you organize yourself early enough, you might not need any.
Take it from me, with just a little bit of effort, you can turn that holiday stress into the joyous occasion it is meant to be. Which one of these steps do you see yourself implementing in your holiday planning? Contact us today, we are here to help.
Happy Holidays,
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photo credit: Google, Huffington