This is a guest post by James Smith.
Christmas is one of the most popular events in the calendar year. It commemorates the birth of Jesus, and is observed by millions of Christians and non-Christians worldwide. It is a time to celebrate and generally spread good cheer. Although it is a joyful season, it can be quite hectic for the family, and if you do not prepare in advance, the meaning of the season may be lost. Below are some tips on how to prepare your family for Christmas.
Plan for Christmas together
As a family, you can start planning for Christmas as early as January. Decide if you want to go on holiday, visit friends and family locally or just stay at home. If you decide to go on holiday, choose the destination and set the dates. If you decide to stay at home, agree on what the family will do on that day.
Start saving at the beginning of the year
After the family has agreed on what to do on Christmas, come up with an estimated budget. Once you have the budget, encourage the whole family to start saving some cash weekly. The cash can be put in one jar or each member of the family can save in their own jar. When you save together, Christmas becomes something to look forward to.
Begin shopping early
Christmas is a time to shop for clothes, gifts and decorations among other things. It is advisable to shop at least a month in advance because as Christmas approaches, the queues in shopping malls become longer and the roads more congested. In addition, things might run out of stock and the prices of items may increase.
Mark the Advent calendar
This special calendar helps the family to count down the days to Christmas from 1st of December to 24th of December. Commercial Advent calendars usually have a small door to be opened each day during the countdown. Finding out what is hidden behind the door and counting down the days to Christmas is a great way of creating the festive mood in the family.
Prepare Christmas gifts and cards
This should be done 2 or 3 weeks before Christmas so that there is enough time for mailing or hand-delivery. A great way of involving the whole family is by designing and making cards and gifts together. This activity can create lots of fun and bonding and help to create the Christmas spirit.
Decorate the house together
Decorations contribute in a big way to bringing Christmas cheer. The home should be decorated at least a week before Christmas. It is better to decorate together as a family to make the work easier, spend quality time together and generally create the Christmas mood. You could play Christmas music and serve hot chocolate as the family decorates.
Plan to spread the Christmas cheer to others
Christmas is a time of showing love and sharing with others. Agree on what the family will do to spread good cheer to others. This may include singing Xmas carols in the local hospital or volunteering in a charity Christmas event in the area. If there is money to spare, you could donate gifts, food or even cash to the less fortunate.
Although we celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December, it is not a one day affair but an entire season. To ensure that your family has a memorable Xmas each year, it is important to prepare in advance. As you celebrate, remember the reason for the season.
Author Bio:
My name is James Smith & I am a passionate blogger. I love a frugal living. Visit my blog My Inspiring Dad.
Hi James Smith, your plan is very detailed. I think you will make your family happy and surprising in the next Christmas. your plan helps me have some new ideas for my family. thank you very much.
it’s very soon and i will be in france …i think will be very exciting ^_^