It’s officially September 1st. That means the first of the “ber” months is finally here!

I don’t know about you, but I get ecstatic over the “ber” months (September through December). I love the cooler temperatures in the evenings, the sounds of football emanating from televisions, the back-to-school buzz in the air, and the fun wardrobe changes from tank tops to long sleeves.

As the world turns toward the holiday season, hearts grow excited in anticipation of the extravagant joys to come: fall festivals, Halloween, Thanksgiving, the season of Advent, and Christmas. Whew! That’s a lot to experience in just a few months.

What about you? What gets you most excited about the upcoming holiday season? Do you feel overwhelmed by the holidays? Energized? Unsure?

Here, I have to make a confession: In the past I’ve often struggled with pre-season procrastination.

There are so many joyous things to do in the fall and throughout the entire holiday season. And sometimes I get so overwhelmed by all of it. What happens is that September flies by. And the next thing you know it’s October. Then November. Then December. Then Christmas Day!

Before you know it, the whole holiday season is over in a blink. If I’m not careful, I can forget to live in the moment and be intentional with my time around the Christmas season. Which is why the best thing to do is start your intentional Christmas planning far in advance.

The holiday season will probably always fly by. But this year, it’s time to avoid all the holiday stress. And the #1 way to do that is to start planning for Christmas in September (or even earlier!). But at the very least, you should aim for starting to plan for Christmas sometime in September.

This year, we can approach this season wearing a new “planner hat” that will help us savor the season for all it’s worth and experience a true Authentic Christmas. Here’s how you can ditch the holiday procrastination and start making your Christmas plans today!

Grab a Calendar or Planner

Grab your calendar or planner and look over the next coming months. (I have not bought one, but this Christmas Planner I found online looks amazing!).

Each square on your calendar marks a precious day filled with 24 hours. This holiday season, what is most important to you? What do you want to experience? Make a list of what you would like to experience each month. But before you hop right in to the practical aspects below, here’s a great blog about planning with mindfulness and an open heart around the Christmas season. I highly recommend you check it out before you continue.

Next, let’s take a look at the more practical side of Christmas planning, and why September is the best month to start preparing. Here’s an example of what your early Christmas planning could look like when you take the time to intentionally and strategically spread it out over the next few months:

September:

• Start planning Christmas gifts for friends and family
• Buy Christmas gifts for first 5 people on shopping list
• Buy a Christmas devotional
• Go through attic and make sure Christmas decor is easy to find

October:

• Start planning Christmas party -> work on theme, invitations, and getting the word out.
• Continue buying Christmas presents, mark off as many as possible
• Plan family Christmas card to send out
• Create a Facebook Page for Christmas party and invite people online.
• Map out & finalize plans for Dec. holiday travels

November:

• Finish up buying all Christmas presents
• Wrap Christmas presents – finish by December 1st
• Put up Christmas decorations in November after Thanksgiving
• Take photoshoot at Thanksgiving for family Christmas card
• Sign up to volunteer at church for Christmas Eve service
• Start working on Christmas cards for children’s hospital
• Start putting up Christmas decorations around house

December:

• Start planning Christmas meals/visits
• Take time to read special Christmas stories to son in evenings
• All Christmas decorations out and finished by Dec. 1st!
• Make plans to attend church on Sundays for Advent
• Finalize volunteer schedule at church
• Plan to drop off Christmas cards to local children’s hospital

Obviously, everyone’s Christmas planning will look completely different from person to person. But as you can see, successful Christmas planning takes time, thoughtfulness, intentionality, and foresight. And you don’t have to do a lot in one go. Little by little planning truly adds up. That’s why it’s so important to start your Christmas planning today!

The bottom line is this: If you wait until December 1st to start marking off all of your Christmas errands – like decorations, shopping, wrapping gifts, meal planning & prep, trips, & more – the season of Christmas won’t feel like a gift. Procrastinating your Christmas planning will make the Christmas season feel completely overwhelming, uncomfortable, and stressful.

Wonderful things like throwing Christmas parties, making your favorite holiday dish, spending meaningful moments with children, going on walks, savoring the holiday season slowly, and making time to read a Christmas devotional get put on the backburner amidst the holiday mayhem, especially if you wait to the last minute to get everything done in one month.

Instead, if you start your Christmas planning in September and continue little by little, you won’t have to bear the burden during the month of December – the exact time when you’re meant to be enjoying the holiday season for all it’s worth!

Think about it this way. Planning a wedding takes months in advance of preparation. You wouldn’t want a bride to start planning her wedding the week of her bachelorette party. Of course not! That would be crazy. In the same way, Christmas is such a special event that it deserves to be treated with the respect and care it deserves. Not only that, your thoughtful planning will make this season extra special for those around you. Your goal should be that you enjoy the month of December with your family, and that the majority of your plans, Christmas presents, and decor are bought, put up, purchased, and finished by early December so you can enjoy the Advent season. It’s really that simple!

Christmas is more than a day, as there’s truly an entire season of Advent. The Christmas season takes time to prepare for in advance. Skip the holiday stress. Skip the procrastination you tend to repeat each year. Instead, start planning Christmas little by little today. You’ll be so glad you did!

Most importantly, when you plan ahead for all the Christmas mayhem, instead of just marking things off a to-do list, you can take time for what truly matters most to you—like meaningful moments spent with family and friends, moments of rest and respite, time in prayer, time spent outdoors, visits to church, and time for anything that brings you true joy during the holiday season. No mayhem or excuses of busyness will be holding you back.

And now you have it, the reason to start your Christmas planning in September. It’s time to get started. Grab a pen, paper, a planner, whatever you need today. You can do this.

Happy Christmas planning!