Your Holiday To-Do List
Get your holiday house in order.
Your overworked pantry will surely thank us for the break from your big organizational energy. Shifting gears, rather than allowing the ifonlyIhadtime tasks to pile up closer to the holidays, we’re here to highlight some areas that could use your attention now while, well, you have time. Our go-to organizing muse Rachel Rosenthal helped us make a list of things to attend to this moment—so we need not check it twice later.
Home for the holidays?
For a year and a half that was supposed to be about staying in place, there sure was a whole lot of moving that happened. A quick inventory of your inner circle could yield several new addresses—ones you haven’t yet committed to memory (or your contacts). Pulling out your card or gift lists now will give you the time to collect those new deets so you aren’t scrambling later.
Deck the halls.
Many of us decided to skip pulling out all the stops last year, especially without the pressure of planned parties and gatherings. If you haven’t visited your holiday decor in a while, it might be good to pull it out now, remind yourself what you have, what you might need and what can be pared back. This includes any tableware and serving pieces that you might reserve for the holidays, as well as checking wrapping supplies.
Go for gifting gold.
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, so if you’re sharing our ever-greater gratitude for the peeps who matter most, you probably also want to be more thoughtful about gift-giving by targeting fewer, better things. One way to ensure you hit the mark (and don’t overspend) is to give yourself time for proper execution. Rachel suggests making your ideas list now so that as you see the *perfect* thing, you’re ready to pounce. You probably also want to take into account how people’s likes and hobbies might have changed during the pandemic. Pro tip: Keep your list running on your phone under reminders, so it’s at the ready for you to pull up when you spot things in your travels.
Get in ship shape.
One thing likely to follow us into our post-pandemic world is the continued growth of e-commerce and with it, a Hunger Games holiday shipping nightmare. One way to stay ahead of the curve? Get equipped with your own supplies. Never have we ever loved a product more than this Scotch Flex and Seal roll that Rachel turned us onto. It makes shipping an absolute breeze and definitely cuts down on the need for boxes. Another one of Rachel’s secrets? Pirate Ship, which allows you to create batch shipping labels and individual shipping labels—aaaaand get the best USPS rates. Avoiding panicked trips to the post office completely? There’s a gift.
