Now that July is almost over and we are stretching into the long, hot dog days of summer, the last thing on most people’s minds is the holiday season. But before you know it, Halloween decorations will be making their way into craft and hobby stores (if they haven’t already!). Why not starting thinking about your holiday plans? Now is the perfect time to get your holiday events in order.

Why now? For starters, getting your invitation lists, overnight guests, and family visitors lined up will help make for a less frantic holiday season.

When it’s too hot to go outside and you need a little time out of the sun, get inside the air conditioning and start planning ahead. Christmas planning in July is a great respite to the heat!

Lists, lists and more lists – this is my typical description of how to manage the hectic rush of the season. So…start writing down your “to do’s”.  Here are five key tasks to get you jump started:

• Begin by setting aside a time to make those calls to confirm where you are spending your holidays and with whom.
• If you’re one to include family photos on your holiday cards, book that photographer now and get ahead of the rush.
• Christmas cards are available year ’round. Check out websites like Minted and Shutterfly and get those cards ordered! (You can start addressing envelopes ahead of time, too.)

• Before buying new decorations, take a look at what you already have. This will help prevent buying something you don’t need. Save time and money by taking inventory.
• Sort through your gift wrap. Do you have enough tags? How about ribbon? Make a list of your gift wrap needs and then head over to Amazon.com. (I just typed in “holiday gift wrap” in their search bar and about 9,000 options popped up.)
• Why not start your shopping now? Make your list (and check it twice) and start “hunting”. You will save money by watching for sales throughout the year, rather than rushing and buying everything at the end of the year. It just takes a little pre-planning!

For any gathering, planning early is key to keeping the level of stress down, so you can enjoy your friends and family. Just because it’s hot outside doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start thinking about the holiday season, which will be here before you know it.

And finally -a shameless plug – it’s not too early to book our holiday decorating service.  If you’re tired of your existing decorations, we can help integrate a few new pieces to give your home an updated look for the upcoming holiday season. Give us a call!