How to Plan Christmas – in July

Here’s the thing: everyday life is busy. Expensive, too.

And Christmas can be really busy and really expensive. Folding all the fun of Christmas into an already full life is a recipe for stressed out moms and missed opportunities.

If I don’t plan for the two to merge, I’m going to be disappointed. I know from 30+ married Christmases that preplanning will allow me more of the good things I enjoy and fewer stressed out moments.

As my kids grow and age out of some of our routines and traditions, it’s all that more important to me to carve out a special space for Christmas. Busy school schedules, finances, world events, and random health issues can get in the way of what could be a really special time of the year.

For years I hosted Christmas in July here on Life as Mom as a way to help me and my readers blend busy every day life with the festive vibe of Christmas. We took a few years off, but we’re back with Christmas in July.

Christmas Planning — in July

Yes, school is back in session in a few short weeks and you want to enjoy the last days of summer. I gotcha.

But, if you’re reading and flipping through a magazine at the beach, you can just as well spend that leisure time thinking through the holidays.

Browsing Pinterest while you lay on the hammock in the backyard? Pull up a search for Christmas cookies.

Shopping 4th of July clearance at Hobby Lobby? What red and white things can be repurposed for the holidays.

If you’ve got leisure time in the summer, you can easily spend some of it looking at fun things for the holidays.

One of the things to planning in advance is that you get to dream big. I mean BIG. After all, Christmas is five months away!

You can dream big now so long as you remember to pare down your expectations of you as the hours tick by closing in on Christmas.

But first, before we dig into the what’s and how’s, let’s talk about why.

Christmas, the birth of Jesus, has been commemorated/celebrated since as early as the 200s, though observances have varied greatly over the years and between faith traditions. Greatly.

I’m going to operate under the assumption here that Christmas celebrations are religious in nature, and specifically, a celebration or occasion for feasting. Some approach the birth of Christ as if it’s a time to repent, but I’m looking at it as a time to celebrate His Incarnation with thanksgiving.

Planning Christmas is deciding on a meal plan, decorating the house, and giving gifts. It is an atmosphere to cultivate and experiences to plan, but to do it all in a way that allows us to embrace the holiday as a celebration of what Christ has done for us.

I love how Rachel Jankovic phrases it:

We want the Word of God to dwell in us richly — and the more we read it, the more natural Christmas should be to us. Because the more we know the God who gave His Son to us, the more we know how to enjoy and praise Him. God is not above our small celebrations: our efforts at kindness, our fires, and our cocoa. We are celebrating that God dwelt among us as a man, a man we could have fed at our tables, given gifts to, greeted with a “Happy Birthday,” sent a card to, or shared a fire with. The more we know this Jesus through the Word He has given us, the less we will be able to contain our joy at times like this. This is our dear friend, our glory. This is our God, come to this earth. May your celebrations be thick with the knowledge of Your God, and a joy to match!

The Word Became Flesh

Be clear on your why.

Recently I was reading how ministry should be an “overflow of the Gospel” which sounds like a really vague term to me. Once I read that quote, I started to understand it in more practical terms.

I am a very flawed, selfish woman, who honestly deserves death for the sins she’s committed, yet Jesus came and lived a sinless life and died on the cross, taking my punishment instead, so that I could be forgiven and reconciled to go.

That is my why for celebrating Christmas. If He hadn’t come, I’d have nothing to celebrate. Instead I have EVERYTHING to celebrate.

I love these words from Gwen Burrow:

We celebrate big because Christmas is big. We celebrate in the midst of jet lag and wild transatlantic adventures because the first Christmas was a riot of travel snags and lodging mishaps. We celebrate with what we have; and what we have, we give for free, because 2,000 years ago God gave the hope of redemption and resurrection in the body of His newborn Son—for free.

Host Your Own Carol Sing and Christmas Fest

Douglas Wilson writes in his Advent devotional:

It seems a little out of control, as though I am urging you to “go overboard.” But of course I am urging you to go overboard. Think about it—when this world was “in sin and error pining,” did God give us a teaspoon of grace to make our dungeon a tad more pleasant? No. He went overboard.

God Rest Ye Merry

It’s with these thoughts in mind that I turn our attention toward what could be seen as fairly worldly: holiday parties, Christmas cookies, holiday decor, and greeting cards. Christmas is a celebration, a big celebration, one that shouldn’t be haphazard if we can help it.

Christmas is a celebration of Jesus, fully God come as Man to live the perfect life on the behalf of His people. Let’s plan a Christmas worthy of that.

The Details of Christmas Planning

Once we’ve got the WHY solid, then the rest is easy.

But first, let’s talk cents. How will you pay for Christmas since it involves a little extra than the everyday.

And we all know that the everyday can cost a pretty penny.

Your Christmas Budget

So, you’re going to need a Christmas budget to make sure you can afford what you want to do.

As of this writing, there are five months until December begins which means you have four months to save the funds for your holiday spending. I say four months, because generally speaking, you’re going to want that cash on hand by December 1st.

If you haven’t already created a sinking fund for your holiday spending, now is the time to start one.

1. Find out how much you spent on gifts, groceries, decor, experiences, etc. last year. If you don’t already track this in some app or software, pull up your bank or credit card statements for last December or January respectively.
2. Once you have your number, divide it into 5. That’s how much you’re going to want to set aside each month in July, August, September, October, and November.

Trust me that you don’t want be paying for this Christmas next summer.

In fact, you want to get right side up so that it’s just a little each month (out of 12) that you’re putting away money. The more regular your savings, the easier it will be!

If you don’t have wiggle room in your regular monthly expenses, then it will be a great chance to be creative. And an early start will help you stretch your resources.

Be sure to read –> Time to Make a Christmas Budget! The post includes tips to help you make the most of what you have.

This next part of Christmas planning is really about time management, but that doesn’t sound as much fun as Christmas experiences, does it?

When you stop and think about it though, how you spend your time is really the surefire determiner of what your experiences will be like.

If you plan ahead and use your time wisely, you can cuddle in front of the fire with your sweetheart instead of fussing about stuff. You can do a Christmas puzzle with your kids or dive into Christmas Read Alouds not worrying about getting the laundry done.

Head here for ideas on how to plan your Fun Christmas Activities this year!

And don’t forget to check out these past posts, too:

As much as I love a good freezer meal, I’m not going to suggest that you start your holiday baking in July. It’s too hot, anyway!

But, you can do any number of things to get a jump on your holiday feasting plans:

• start a Pinterest board to save recipes you want to try. Here’s mine.
• find all your favorite recipes now so you’re not struggling to find them later.
• check your baking supplies and see what is going to be past its best by date when Christmas rolls around (Jar of Molasses, I’m looking at you.)
• ask your family what their favorite holiday recipes are.
• survey your linens, flatware, and serving dishes. Are there items you could start shopping for now so that you can get a good deal?
• take advantage of my Christmas in July sale

Let’s go back to our WHY again. If Christmas is a celebration, then the atmosphere we create will either help or hinder those feelings in us and the people who come into our home.

And I’m not talking about what color decor you choose.

Your atmosphere is going to be determined by your heart. As much as I love a pretty holiday display, I have to remind myself that PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT.

Remember this as you dig into the fun of music, decor, lighting, and your general home environment.

What kind of vibe do you want to project this holiday season? This is important for you to think about. Then work backward. What will get in your way?

Stay tuned for some ideas on this topic later this month. In the meantime, check out:

This gifts and stuff of the holiday season have no end. We really could go all out on the giving this year, and I say do as much as your money and time budget will allow!

If you are short on cash this year, then there are plenty of Ways to Save on Christmas Expenses.

If you know there will be a gift exchange at work, browse these Best Secret Santa Gifts you can make yourself. You may even have time now to craft a little in advance.

Even when we had $0, we were able to have a lovely Christmas with our kids. Their only request was a set of Microwave Heat Bags for each of them. There are so many fun things you can do on little cash.

I’ll share more later this month, but know that you don’t have to be rich to celebrate lavishly.

In the meantime, let’s chat in the comments!