I know it’s hard to believe, but Christmas Eve is 3 months from today. This Christmas is going to be very unusual. Large gatherings of family and friends will likely have to wait until 2021. I’ve already cancelled this year’s Elf Extravaganza. Travel will be limited. Folks aren’t in the office, so no office parties. Traditional entertainments (The Nutcracker, Messiah sing-alongs, etc.) are likely to be cancelled. Much more shopping will happen online.
So this month, the Christmas Countdown will be a bit unusual. Your primary task is to spend some time with your loved ones deciding what your holidays will look like. Who can gather safely? How will you celebrate? What traditions will you keep and which ones will have to wait until next year? What new traditions might you begin?
As you think about and discuss those big questions, here are some other tasks you may want to keep in mind:
•Finalize your Christmas card address list. Cards may play a more important role than ever in keeping us close to our loved ones.
•Write down your Christmas gift list. You will need to allow extra time for ordering and pickup and many gifts will need to be shipped. Leave plenty of time. (Given the economic struggles faced by so many, you may want to limit the number of gifts you give this year.)
•Start or continue work on your Christmas crafting.
•Decide how you will decorate. Since I will be spending most of the holiday season in my house, I’m going big on the decorations. After all, I’ll be home all day to enjoy them.
•Finalize your holiday budget and make sure you know where the money is coming from. If you don’t have enough saved, you need to reduce the budget. It’s easier to make these choices now than in the height of the season.
•Start saving the address labels that come in the mail.