Halloween Prep

Ok, I will admit that Halloween is my least favorite holidays. I don't like to be scared and I don't like dressing up. I am not a big candy fan and other than cute little kids costumes I could do without it. Just because I don't love it doesn't mean I don't celebrate it!

I usually start my prep for Halloween at the end of August/begining of September. I know, it seems early but just hear me out.

I do a big clean to prep for all the up coming holidays. I wash windows, blinds, walls...all of it.  I rearrange furniture, if needed in preparation for my Christmas tree and other decor. Then it is just spot cleaning until it is time to put up the tree. Makes it so much easier to clean and rearrange when I have time. 

Since I am not a Halloween fan I decorate mainly for fall. I decorate with a fall base, leafy garlands, pumpkins and a cute scarecrow I have named Sarah. Then I add a few halloween touches by putting my big blinking bats in the window, my few little cute halloween decorations and I'm done. Then, the day after halloween I just pull down that few Halloween items I have up and replace them with the few turkeys and cornucopias I have waiting for Thanksgiving. Takes 10 minutes tops.

I know not everyone can do it that way, some people love Halloween as much as I love Christmas and their decor is much more involved. If you are one of those, congrats! Send me pics and such I love to see people really involved in whatever holiday they love. If you are really ambitious submit a blog post about your Halloween set up and why you love and I may feature it on the blog!

By the first week of october I generally have costumes (if any are needed) decided on and either purchased or in the process of making. The more little ones running around the harder that is, I know.

First Week of October

It is the first full week of October. So what have I done to be ready for the holidays? Well my Christmas cards are ready to send, envelopes are ready to be addressed, stamps purchased and labels ready. One big check off my list.

Thanksgiving wise I have confirmed my guest list, made food assignments and scheduled a time for the big events. I even set up my black friday plans because I like that kind of thing. I don't use black friday for gifts, but more about that later.

For Halloween...I have made plans to go to our local pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins, visit a corn maze and all the other fun fall things to do at Black Island Farms. We have fun every year going with friends and this year will be no exception.

My Base Decor Holiday Decorating Plan

Ok, I am going to explain my Base Decor Holiday Decorating Plan. It has been the easiest way for me to decorate in the least amount of time, least amount of work and most holiday pop. Since it is fall I will start with my fall routine.

I start with a fall cleaning. The dirt and grime of summer has to be cleaned. I wash windows and doors, clean off the porch put away any summer decor. Quick and easy with a little help it can be done in as little as an hour with a small place and if you have a big home it may take longer. Split it up if you need to

Next, I pull out my fall decor boxes. I purchased a black and orange rubber made tub and it has been so nice to just know that my fall stuff is in that box (or boxes). I also have the other holidays color coded, more on that later.  I open it up and see what I have. What I still love and what I am not so fond of or have no place for. If I am done with it I donate it or try selling in on line. The rule is get rid of what you don't love or use so you make room for the things you do.

After I have cleaned out my stash, I start to decorate. My first trick? I decorate for fall. I put up my fall garland with orange lights, my pumpkins, my pinecone garland...I just decorate for fall.

This is probably the most important thing I will do for the next 3-4 months! Sounds crazy right? It's not and let me tell you why.

By decorating for a base season I can easily add Halloween decor to the fall decor. Then, the day after Halloween I just take the Halloween down and add any Thanksgiving pieces. A 10 minute switch and I am ready for the next holiday.

Then, the magic happens. When it is time for Christmas, I already have a base decor set up. So for a few days (I like to do it early because I am a Christmas Junkie) I can just focus on one section of my fall decor and switch it to Christmas. The pinecone garland that I brought out for fall? I dust it and leave it there, it may get some white lights added or some ribbon but that stuff stays up for months. I love base decor! Decorating the same spaces in your home and then just rotating for the holiday or season is the easiest way to go. If you know you will decorate the mantel for every holiday then you can decorate for fall and add a halloween piece or two and then take them out for a Thanksgiving addition. Then spend an hour putting away fall and making it a Christmas mantel. One section to be done quick and easy.

For me enjoying the season is making my home feel full of holiday spirit. It doesn't matter what Holiday and it doesn't take hundreds of dollars to do it (although I could easily spend hundreds if my sweet hubs didn't give me "isn't our house already too full" look). So I think of my decorating as base and as holiday.

Christmas Prep Part 1

I will put it out there, I love Christmas. It is my favorite Holiday. I love the lights, the music, the cheesy movies, the warm drinks, the family gatherings, the parties, the snow, the decorations, the feeling that is in the air, it is a happiness and peace that fills people, Christmas Cards and I love the traditions.

So pretty much I love all of it.

I want to enjoy as much of the season as I can so I came up with the Christmas Prep Plan (CPP). While I would happily put up my tree and decor in september, my husband and every other person in the world is opposed. Oh well.  So instead of putting up my tree I start my Christmas Prep Plan.

1. What will you be Hosting this Season? This step should really be a part of the Grand Holiday Prep Plan. It is making the choice if you will be hosting any holiday parties or events this year. You may be a super hero but I am not and I can only commit to one big holiday event to plan and execute between october and january. I can help plan and help prepare for others but I choose one event to play host to. For me it is a Christmas Party. So by mid september I pick my date and my theme (lots more on this coming!). I call, text, email and invite anyone that I really want to have there in september. I usually send a more formal invite in november but a "save the date" note since I know my calendar is already starting to fill up come september for december.

2. Make a list. Ok, this seems easy because it is. I make a list of thing I want to do during the holiday seasons. We go to a pumpkin farm in october, we go to parades, parties, sleigh rides...whatever you want to do, put it on the list. I mark the ones that aren't negotiable, like the christmas light parade and fireworks show, and put those on my calendar. Knowing when things are and putting them on my calendar helps me see how busy I am getting and I can start saying no.

3. If you are doing Family Pictures for Christmas Cards, you should have them scheduled. Photographers are very busy in the fall months, everyone wants new pictures taken and they want those fall leaves. If you haven't scheduled them, schedule them now.

4. Make your Christmas Cards. Ok, you got your pictures taken and they came back and you love them. Time to show them off! There are a million and one places to make Christmas Cards online. In September and October many of these websites offer 10 free Christmas cards. Which means they have out there holiday designs and you are free to look and build your cards. Order them by October so you have them in November and can send them out early and be done.

5. Buy Stamps. You will be grateful to not have to worry about getting them later.

6. Make another list. This is the gift list. The big, huge christmas gift list. I subscribe to the 5 gift rule, something they want, need, wear, read and a surprise. The hubs gets 5 gifts, I get 5 gifts...when we have kids, they will get 5 gifts. Set a budget for your gifts. Big or small, set a budget. Don't forget to add to your list friends and neighbors you might want to include.

7. Buy Out of Town Gifts Now. If you have out of town family or friends to give gifts to buy them now. If you go to the store and buy them and ship them, do it by the end of october. They will get there in plenty of time, short lines at the post office and if there is a problem you still have time to fix it. Most websites allow you to buy gifts and ship them to someone else's address. Take advantage of this! Buy online and you don't have to even head to the post office.

8. Are You Celebrating At Home or Away? Are you celebrating the holidays at home or are you going to family? If you are going away now is the time to start making travel plans and arrangements. If you are having company it is time to start making plans for them too.

The Former Holiday Procrastinator

I love the holidays. I absolutely love them. Ok, most holidays. I don't like to be scared to I really only like cute Halloween but other than that, I love the holidays.

Holidays can be filled with a lot of work, stress and frustration. I know because I have been there. I used to be a Holiday Procrastinator (an HP) and I would be doing things up until and the day of most holidays with ideas of things I still wanted to do helping me feel like I didn't get it all done. It takes all the fun out of the holidays! So I came up with a Holiday Plan. Not just for one holiday but for all.

On the blog I will be sharing my secrets and tricks on how to make your holidays fun and have you ready in plenty of time to enjoy the season.

Since the big 4 Holidays are right around the corner (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve) I'll start with prepping for those.