How to nail your Christmas prep in September

Okay, so Christmas prep in September is not for everyone: it’s completely optional.

However, if you are a Christmassy or yuletide kind of person, a little of bit of effort this month makes it easier to be organised and generally keep the costs down.

Advantages of September Xmas planning

There are two very good reasons to do some Christmas prep during this month. Firstly, starting those preparations in September helps you spread the expense over four pay packets, and it gives you more time to find deals and discounts.

Secondly, this is the month when lots of festive season stock arrives in the shops. It allows you to have a good look at what’s available, and pick out some favourites. Also, if there’s something that’s both affordable and likely to sell out quickly, you can be an early bird and snap it up.

The ‘Christmas prep in September’ checklist

You can do as much or as little as you like this month. It’s whatever you’re in the mood for really, but here’s a list of most of the things that you could do.

General Christmas prep in September

Here’s some general organisation questions to ask yourself (and maybe others):

• What kind of Christmas do you want to have? Quiet? Busy? Thrifty? Traditional? Stylish? Luxurious?
• What’s your realistic budget for everything?
• Will you be travelling or staying put?
• If you’re staying at home, will you be inviting guests?
• Will you have any social arrangements such as parties, meals or nights out?

There’s plenty of time to think about it, and discuss/negotiate with your nearest and dearest.

Food & Drink (non-perishables, bookings)

There are a few opportunities this month for some long-term planning, for example:

• Getting a rough menu together for what you’d like to cook
• Finding a few new recipes
• Booking a supermarket delivery slot: Ocado (SmartPass customers can already book)
• Booking click & collect festive food: Food to Order by Sainsbury’s & M&S Food to Order are already up and running.
• Stocking up on drinks offers: Tesco, Morrisons, ASDA, Laithwaite’s, Majestic Wine, DrinkSupermarket
• Making one or two things and freezing them

You might also want to start picking up a few ingredients and foods with a long shelf life, such as:

• Baking ingredients
• Frozen: turkey, desserts, party snacks, puff pastry
• Shelf-stable: biscuits, jar sauces, chocolates (hide them!), Christmas pudding etc

For example, I start putting one or two low cost festive treats into the shopping basket each week from September onwards so we don’t have to do a massive shop late in December.

Travel arrangements in September

Not always possible to arrange at this point, but consider these:

• Tentatively agree who’s travelling where and when, or who you’re hosting
• Book the car in if it needs a service or repairs
• Hunt around for cheap advance tickets for flights, train or bus – late September and early October are usually the time for the best prices
• Renew passes and discount railcards if required

Christmas decorations prep this month

There’s no pressure to start decorating, but you might like to:

• Check out new decorations that are starting to go on sale at Anthropologie, B&Q, Cox & Cox, Dunelm, George Home, John Lewis, Liberty, Matalan, Selfridges, Søstrene Grene, etc.
• Buy arts and crafts materials, reusable bags, wrapping paper etc
• Try designing your own Christmas cards, if you’re getting some printed

Homemade Christmas prep in September

I know a lot of you love a good homemade Christmas, so how about any of these:

• Making chutneys, jams, or infused drinks such as sloe gin or blackberry brandy – gives them time to mature
• Handmade gifts such as knitted socks, crochet blankets, soaps (many need curing time), felt toys etc
• Buying materials for making up hampers at Wilko or Amazon UK

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Christmas gift shopping this month

The stocking fillers and other gifts are starting to arrive in the shops, so if you have time this month you can:

• Make a list of who to buy for, sketch out a budget, and don’t overdo it
• Browse gifts on offer in department stores: Boots (the 3-for-2 deal already started!), Debenhams, Dunelm, John Lewis, M&S, Matalan, Selfridges.
• Check out earlybird deals in toy shops: Argos, Hamleys, Tesco, The Entertainer etc.
• Snap up a great beauty advent calendar before they sell out: Anthropologie, Body Shop, Boots (multiple options available from £11), Cult Beauty, Harvey Nichols, Liberty, Look Fantastic, Molton Brown, Next, Selfridges, Space NK.
• Look for payday sales, flash offers, and newsletter or app discount codes

There’s plenty to think about, but at the same time there’s no need to try to do everything all at once. It can wait until October, or November, or even December.

Are you planning on doing any Christmas prep in September?

By the way, if there’s anything you’d add to the checklists, let us know in the comments below!

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