In September’s holiday prep post, I chatted about the things that you can and should get started on early to make everything more manageable a month or two down the road! This month I am looking at the things you need to buy, find, and start making now so that you don’t miss the window to actually get them and get the best price possible. Not only will it make your life easier in the long run, it can also be a great way to relax and escape for a few hours at a time! This is your guide to October holiday prep….
1) Buy Any Needed Crafting Supplies
Michaels has more and more Christmas and holiday crafting supplies arriving in store every day, as do many other stores! Yes, it seems like it is in endless supply (pun intended) right now but when you are actually making that centrepiece that you left until 22 December to make and realise you need more printed ribbon to match, you may be out of luck. If you start getting what you need now, you can take advantage of so many of the coupons and 2-for-1 deals that hobby stores seem to offer in the lead up to the holidays!
You also don’t have any excuse not to slowly get started on the projects you have if you have the supplies. I find that if something is looking at me, I can’t avoid it! That isn’t to say that you need to have everything made by 10 October, but once 1 November hits, holiday supplies fly off of the shelves. It also gives you time to track down those hard-to-find items that you might have to order.
2) Paint Anything That Needs to Dry Outside
This does depend on where you live, but for anywhere that is remotely north at all, get all of the painting that needs to dry outside done now before inclement weather hits. It is quite early, but we had snow that stayed for almost a full day on 23 September, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that more snow could come. We tend to get that “great” snow/rain combo, which means nothing will dry outside…
3) Find and Buy Holiday Pyjamas
This may seem very trivial but if you are like me and love having Christmas pyjamas, I would highly recommend that you purchase them as early as possible! I know that some families get matching pyjamas every year, other people just like PJs, but in any case they sell out very quickly. I usually get mine at Old Navy because they are fun and affordable, and there are a lot of options! I am personally not a fan of the button-up, long sleeve pyjama shirt, so I can find a myriad of options there. (I love my doggo holiday pants from 2017!)
You can find them at any number of department and clothing stores, and if you are looking in October, you can usually take advantage of coupons for 20-40% off, depending on the store. Ugly Christmas sweaters are pretty easy to find up until Christmas itself, but the pyjamas can prove to be much more elusive. It’s also much harder to make holiday PJs than it is to make an ugly holiday sweater!
4) Research Shipping and Mailing Deadlines
I hate to break it to you, but as of 6 October when this post publishes, you will already have missed the earliest shipping deadlines for holiday packages. Depending upon where you live, how far you need something sent, and how much you are willing to pay, the deadline can be as early as 1 October and 15 October! Many of Canada Post’s deadlines fall in early and mid-November, and from all of my shipping adventures, I would recommend sticking with you postal service provider’s dates!
If you want to ship something last minute, you certainly can. However, you may end up paying two or three times what your gift is worth to get it there, all because you couldn’t plan. I would also start paying attention to stores and retailers’ shipping pages, as stores will start sharing their own ordering and shipping deadlines for the holiday season. If at all possible, do not wait until the last possible minute to mail things- allow extra time for things to get to where they need to be!
5) Tackle Your Tasks with Some Me-Time
Maybe you love listening to audiobooks, maybe you love chatting with your friends, maybe you love cheesy Christmas movies. Whatever it is that you love, make sure that you have some time to do it during the holiday season! I love the holiday season and the warmth and cheer that it brings, but it can start to wear on you on very, very quickly. I love having a cup of tea and watching Hallmark Christmas movies, so I will set up with a pot of tea and Youtube playlist of movies while I put together invitations or write Christmas cards for a few hours! While there usually is a lot that you will need to get done for the season, that doesn’t mean that you need to be chained to table or a stove in the dark until everything is done. Go out of your way to make things fun for yourself, and embrace it!
6) Send Out Invitations for Holiday Events
I already polled the people that I needed to for dates in September and have my invitations made! You don’t need to have this done now but I certainly would by the end of October. Everyone I know has so many annual holiday events that happen throughout that 4-6 week period that it does take some careful planning to find a time and date that works. Depending on how many people you will be inviting, you can poll people informally through text or email, but I would give them an actual invitation to keep as well.
While I enjoying making my invitations and giving an actual physical invitation, you can also send online invitations. You could either: send out a Punchbowl style invite where you can manage a guest list and people can post, which is helpful if it is a potluck or everyone needs to coordinate things, or a more simple email where people just reply to you. You will notice that in all three cases (physical, online, and email) they have something to keep that isn’t just a reminder in conversation.
What are your October plans for Christmas and holiday prep?
Cheers,
The Historian
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