Organized Holiday

I am always on the hunt for ways to make our lives simpler (especially around the holidays!) and I kinda like love obsess over organizing. So y'all don't be too mad at me when you find out that what I'm about to share with you is actually for next Christmas. Yes, you read that right. Next Christmas. Please don't stop reading. I promise it will be worth it. 

Over the years I've found a couple of ways that I organize the holidays that have made it soooo much easier!! These are small, simple things that require little effort or time but make a BIG difference in my stress level. And many of them are things that you might already be doing!! 

1. I take pictures of my holiday decor.

I really love to decorate for Christmas...especially now that we have children. Like really love it. I actually force myself NOT to go to the Christmas section at Hobby Lobby because I could blow our whole budget picking out new pretties. I usually change 1 or 2 things each year just to keep it fresh. But for the most part, I keep our Christmas decor the same. And last year (after I changed a few things) I decided to take a few quick pictures on my phone of where and how I decorated. So this year, when I pulled out all our decorations (and got super exited about some things that I forgot I had!), it was super easy to decorate because I didn't have to stop and think about where I had put everything the year before. Mind blowing, I know. Why didn't I think of this before?!?

2. I keep a running list of gift ideas. 

We have a relatively small extended family. So buying gifts doesn't really stress me out. And I enjoy purchasing things that I know someone I love would enjoy. I also really love not having to budget for all those gifts in the months of November and December. So I keep a running list of ideas and purchase them throughout the year. In fact, I saw something this week that is perfect for someone in my family (even though we've already exchanged gifts this year). So I put a sticky note on it and put it in the Christmas tubs for next year. Y'all probably think I'm crazy, but when I open that tub next year and already have several gifts in it, I am going to be one happy mama! 

3. I keep notes for future holiday outings. 

If you read my post earlier this month, you heard about how we pick 1 or 2 fun holiday activities to do each year. There are always other fun things that we want to do, so instead of feeling like we're missing out, I keep notes for next year. Some friends of ours did something this year that I had never even heard of so I added it to our list to try out next year. And I think it is super budget-friendly too (which is even better in my book!). My family looks forward to the different holiday activities each year!! 

So there you have it! That's my organized holiday. Nothing fancy. Nothing difficult. Just simple. 

Be on the lookout for some fun things on the blog in the next couple of weeks. Someone very cute in our house has a birthday coming up soon and I have some fun New Years posts coming up too! Until then, Merry Christmas from my family to yours!!