Kiddipedia
Christmas is fast approaching! Known worldwide as the time for warm, fuzzy feelings and time spent together, it can also be extremely stressful in the lead-up to pull it all together!
If the thought of juggling a long list of preparations, gift shopping and the kids being home on school holidays makes you twitch, never fear… we’ve got you covered with all the tips to get your Christmas sorted today, stress-free!
Beat the Crowds
If you’ve ever missed out on getting that special gift the kids really wanted, you’ll know what we mean when we say ‘the earlier the better’. Get the kids to write their Christmas wish lists early this year, and take a photo of it so you don’t forget! The most popular toys always sell out first, so get in early!
Be sure to place any big food orders in advance, especially if you love your seafood, or want special glazed ham or turkey from the butchers!
You’ll also want to beat the crowds with anything you need to book in, like childcare for the kids, Santa photos, family photography, restaurants (for when you’re sick of feeding the never-ending herd of relatives), flights and accommodation. Everything fills up so fast from mid-November onwards, so start a list and get cracking!
Stockpile gifts now!
How many times have you had to sacrifice ‘the perfect gift’ because it wasn’t close enough to Christmas, only to rush out to get something last-minute? Or worse, forget all your amazing ideas a few months down the track when it’s crunch time?! Birthdays, Christmas – they always seem to creep up, so don’t hesitate when you find something you know they’ll love. You’ll be able to pat yourself on the back for being so super organized!
Stockpiling gifts in a secret nook makes gift-giving stress-free. You won’t even realize you’re getting Christmas (or birthdays) sorted early until all the work is done! Keep an eye out for sales all year round – and be ready to snap up a bargain when you see one!
Start checking out online gift guides, and sign up to any email lists or newsletters of the products you’re interested in now. That way you’ll get the updates and the first word on the sales when they come up, without actively having to go out and trawl through the internet or shopping centres for a good deal.
Piece by piece
Dig out your boxes of Christmas supplies one weekend and look through what you have – check you don’t have any broken lights you shoved back in the box last year for ‘future you’ to worry about, have a look at what you already have, and what you may still need.
You can get Christmas decorations, Christmas lights and non-perishable or long life food items piece by piece, each week within your normal weekly shopping adventures. Don’t forget the Christmas wrapping paper! Evidence from many years rushing out to Woollies on Christmas Eve suggests: you can NEVER have too much wrapping paper, gift ribbon or sticky tape (especially if your big Christmas surprise is a Springfree Trampoline – wink wink). And batteries – stock up on these, you’ll always need batteries for something over Christmas!
Get the house & backyard sorted now
Hosting the family get together at your place this year? Ever have that mad panic a few weeks before everyone arrives? Spend some time to get any big backyard or house projects underway now.
You can also trick your family into helping you to get everything done early. If you can manage it, have a bit of a ‘working bee’ one weekend in November, with the reward for the kids being that they get to set up the Christmas tree “as soon as December starts” (with the official silly season underway)! Declutter the house and the backyard, ready for mass decorations, Christmas lights, and kids’ home from school making a mess!
Combined Gifts
Instead of purchasing lots of little gifts for your family, consider a bigger combined gift for everyone! Joint gifts are a particularly great idea for families with more than one child, or for a present for the whole family will love.
This also means you can combine what you would spend on each person and get one big kick-ass present that will be loved for years! Combined gifts get bonus points because they create warm and fuzzy family time together!
Just imagine the excitement Christmas morning, when the kids unwrap a ‘clue’ that sends them outside to find their brand new TRAMPOLINE!
And we can’t go past the fact that one large combined gift means less thinking and planning over what to get each person individually. It also makes sure everything is even and fair!
Interest-Free Finance & Payment Options
Gifts that allow for flexible payment options make it really easy to get Christmas sorted early.
Interest-Free Finance means you can lock in a price and pay off your Christmas in easy, manageable installments.
Gift Cards also make it easier for other family members to contribute towards big gifts – so Nan and Pop can get involved in gifting the kids the ultimate Christmas present.
Layby also lets you decide on your purchase and pay it off as you go, so the costs of Christmas don’t all come at once.
If you ever see a great offer or promotion, check out the payment options – if interest-free finance is available, jump on it! You can lock in the sale price, then pay it off over time.
And if you can, pay off your laybys early, so you don’t have all the bills come in at once.
So get into the Christmas spirit now, piece by piece and you’ll be laughing come December. Go forth and be merry!
Enjoy reading this article? You can read more on the Beyond the Bounce blog, or check out our pick of the hottest Christmas gift this year…. A Springfree Trampoline of course!
You may also like to read:
10 Best Toys for this coming Christmas
