Have a stress-free Christmas with these 12 organizing tips and more! Prepare for holiday shopping, meal planning, and travel so that you can enjoy the holidays this year!

(By clicking on a link and purchasing something, you support my business and me! I use affiliate links which means that I make a very small commission from purchases you make. It costs you nothing and helps me bring you great content!)

How to Stay Organized & Enjoy the Holidays

It’s that time of year! Everyone is full of holiday cheer and anxiety, frustration, and panic attacks!

It all starts in September and then begins to amp up as we approach November. After that, time seems to go at warp speed! This makes for a difficult time to stay organized and enjoy the holidays! Not only is it helpful to stay organized during this time of year, but it sets you up for a great start to the new year!

Several of these tips go hand in hand with keeping yourself mentally healthy as well. This time of year we tend to do too much and it affects us and those around us. Be mindful of your mental health and don’t be afraid to ask for help or slow down!

As a mom, it’s already hard enough to keep myself, my family, and my home organized! I swear my kids have a pact to make messes as quickly as possible. In order to keep myself sane and my home somewhat neat during the holidays, I have a list of 12 easy tips for you to follow this holiday season to stay organized during the holidays!

12 Tips to Stay Organized so you can enjoy the Holidays:

Simplify your holiday decor and traditions
Sort through clothes, toys, and household items to donate
Plan a budget for gift giving
Make a holiday gift list on your phone and decide when and where you will buy the gifts
Create a place for receipts in case of returns
Make an inexpensive “grab and go” gifts stockpile
Choose a hiding spot for gifts
Stock up on wrapping supplies and keep everything together
Pick one holiday party outfit that can be altered if needed
Plan your holiday travel…early
Choose your food menu
Just say NO

Simplify Your Holiday Decor and Traditions-

My kids are 5 and 3, so when I say that it took me a long time to realize that this was ok, I guess it wasn’t that long. I felt like I needed to do everything magical to make their Christmas memories amazing! That is SO not true!

I would suggest picking a few experiences to do with your kids during this time of year. Things like eating breakfast under the Christmas tree, looking at the lights, making cookies are all experiences that will make their holiday memories amazing!

I recently made a “DIY kids advent calendar stocking” and filled it with different ideas for each day. There are some great ideas that you can use for your experiences that are free or don’t cost much money!

Need some holiday decor inspiration? Check out my Holiday Shop!

Related: Painted Dollar Store Nutcracker Decorations

Donate unused clothes, toys, and household items-

This is a great time of year to start purging! Why wait until the new year when you can begin before you bring anything new into your home! Freeing up space in your home frees up space in your mind! Not only are you getting rid of clutter by donating unused items, but you are allowing others to use the things that are no longer bringing you joy!

Related: Simplify Your Home FREE 30 Day Checklist

Plan a budget for gift giving-

It helps to decide how much you are going to spend before you actually spend it! Make that decision and try your best to stick to it! Everyone knows that buyers remorse we feel in January!

Make a holiday gift list in your phone-

I say to make your holiday gift list in your phone, because most likely, you will have your phone with you at all times. There are many times when I have forgotten a list at home while I’m out shopping!

It might be a little late for this year, but try making a gift list all year long! When you hear someone say that they like something, write it down! You can always weed through the list later.

Chose a day or two to complete all of your shopping. Are you a risk-taker or like to score some awesome deals? Head out on Black Friday or Cyber Monday! There are always last minute gifts to be bought, so planning and buying ahead of time will save you a major headache!

Need some ideas? Check out my gift guides-My Wish List & Teacher Gift Ideas

Create a place for receipts in case of returns-

I used to be the queen of misplacing receipts! I ended up getting a small accordion folder that fits in my purse to hold all of my paper receipts. They are organized by store in alphabetical order.

For your online orders, make a folder titled “Christmas 2019,” or whatever year it is. Move the invoices for your purchases to the folder each time you receive them.

Whether it’s a binder, a bin, a folder, or a plastic ziploc bag, keep them in a place where you can easily find them!

Make an inexpensive “grab and go” gift stockpile-

This time of year, there are always last minute parties, get togethers, meetings, and sometimes you might want to bring a little gift! That is why having a few extra gifts stored away is a great idea! These gifts don’t need to cost a lot of money. Some stationary or a candle are great examples of what you could have on hand.

Choose a hiding spot for gifts-

This is especially important if you have kids! My kids have already found some presents. It’s like they have a sixth sense! Luckily we give our kids presents, as well as, Santa, so I just plan to give them the ones they found from us!

Stock up on wrapping supplies and keep everything together-

Anyone go to wrap presents and not have wrapping paper or tape!? Yeah. Been there! Make sure you stock up on wrapping paper and any supplies needed, like gift tags, gift toppers, etc.

I have a set of four FREE printable Christmas gift tags that can save you time and money! Just click on the image below!

Pick one holiday party outfit that can be mixed and matched-

You can choose something you already own and add some pieces to it like a scarf, blazer, fun jewelry or buy something new! If you have a few events to go to and the same people will be at some of them, you might try mixing and matching some pieces to give your outfit a new look.

Plan holiday travel…early-

Traveling for the holidays can be a bit stressful! The most important thing is to start planning your travel early and have a ton of PATIENCE! Everyone wants to get somewhere during the holidays and there are always delays.

If you have to travel by car, make sure you leave extra time for any delays. Leaving early in the morning or late at night is your best bet to avoid traffic. If you have kids, let them sleep in the car and pack some travel bins that contain snacks and activities to keep them busy.

The same thing applies if you are flying or taking a train. Prepare yourself and stay calm! That’s the only way you are going to enjoy the holidays!

Choose your food menu-

If you are hosting a party, Christmas dinner, Chanukah, etc., then this is especially important for you! Take some time, to plan out your holiday meals!

Related: Simple & Classic Christmas Fireplace

Please ask people to bring something so you don’t have to make everything! Most people want to help! And shh…buy some things that are pre-made! This will save you time!

If you are attending a party or dinner, pick an appetizer, dish, or something that you know you can easily make! Have these items on hand so that you can whip them up in no time!

Just say No-

It is hard to keep up during this time of year, but for some reason, we all try to! In order to keep your sanity, you might need to say no to something or more than one something! Don’t feel guilty. Don’t feel bad. No one who really cares about you will be upset. There’s no shame in needing some time to yourself!

I hope these 12 tips help you keep your sanity and keep your home organized! Happy holidays from my family to yours!