5 things you should do NOW for the Holiday Season

I am one of those people who make lists and plans.  However, I am also one of those people, who even after all the best planning, procrastinate so long that my plans mean nothing.  So, again, I vow this year to be 100% prepared for the holiday season, so it is virtually stress free.  Think it can be done?   Oh, and did I forget to mention that not only do I have to prepare for holidays, I also have TWO children with birthdays on December 17 and December 19?  So, I have birthdays to prepare for as well! There are 5 things that I will start doing now to be ready for the holiday season (to qualify this – I mean Thanksgiving through Christmas). 

1. Stock up on your holiday groceries:  I don’t mean go crazy and fill your pantry so you can’t even get in it.  But, now would be a good time to start keeping your eye out for certain items to go on sale (ie: your turkey if you have room to store it).  Stuffing, canned goods, canned soups, – these are great items to have on hand anyway, but imagine what it would be like to do your holiday grocery shopping out of your own pantry!  Especially if you found a great deal on it! 
2. Stock up on your holiday paper goods:  this goes with the entry above.  Napkins, plates, toilet paper (especially if you host these events!)  I would go as far as to make sure that you have stocked up on tape, and plain holiday paper if you can. 
3. Keep your eye out on those store deals!  If you have a rough idea of presents, now is the time to start shopping.  Start hitting the online stores for their deals – shop through places like Ebates for cash back on your shopping.   I just saw in the Kmart ad this week that they have the Ninetendo DSi on sale for $149.99!  That is a $20 savings.  This deal might not come back, so it could cost you $20 for not hitting a sale like this. 
4. Start stocking up on your stocking stuffers:  This is a good one – especially if you have younger kids.  You can always find cute little stuffers for cheap, just about anywhere you look.  If your Wal-Mart has a clearance aisle, this is a good place to start. 
5. Make your list and check it twice:  I find shopping goes a lot smoother if I have a list of names of people that I need to buy for.  Keep this list handy when you are out shopping.  You never know when you might run across a teacher present, one for the babysitter, or something cute for Grandma. 

If you knock a few of these things out now, you might can put your feet up and kick back with a nice, hot cup of cocoa and sing Christmas carols with your family, instead of turning into Monster Mom!