Preventing Holiday Stress: Holiday To-Do List

As I see it, there are two ways to reduce holiday stress:

1. Lower our expectations--literally cross off the number of things on our to-do list.
2. Get started earlier. 

My personal preference is a combination of both these strategies. Here's what I want to accomplish this year:

Make holiday cards like last year.

• I need to draft the text for our holiday cards. 
• Ask Matt to select the photos for our holiday card.
• Get the card designed.
• Get the card printed.
• Pick up stamps. 
• Get updated addresses from my friends and family.
• Stuff all the envelopes.
• And send! 

Purchase all my gifts and get them wrapped before Thanksgiving. 

• Make a list of everyone we need to get gifts for. 
• Brainstorm ideas.
• Make purchases.
• Figure out what we are going to do for wrapping paper this year.
• Wrap our gifts! 
• Make gift tags.

Decide which gifts I'm going to make. 

• Make a list.
• Brainstorm ideas.
• Get supplies. 
• Make the gifts! 

Get Matt's birthday present (end of November). 

• Luckily I collect ideas all year.
• Purchase gift.

We'll see which of these things I get started on versus which things just get crossed off the list! 

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