The Holidays can amplify time issues. Believe me, I know. If time has slipped away from you, the Old Bohemian Homestead last-minute Christmas list may just be what you need. And why not sign up to receive Old Bohemian Homestead posts so next year you can join in the Old Bohemian Homestead Christmas Plan when it begins?

Remember:

Peace on earth begins at home.

Old Bohemian Homestead Last-Minute Christmas Punch List:

Note: You don’t need to do everything on this list. Pick and choose.

• Finalize Gift List – If you’re stumped, just write the number of gifts to get next to the person’s name and decide in the store. Often, you can come across a perfect item you would never have thought of while shopping.
• Schedule your Christmas shopping a little at a time over a week or in one blitz over a weekend, but finish it no later than Saturday evening. Also pick up any extra gift tags, tape, bows, bags, boxes and wrapping paper you might need.
• Put up all outdoor lights and decorations.
• Wrap all out-of-town gifts and prepare them for mailing.
• Update your Christmas Card and/or Letter mailing list.
• Take a cute picture of yourselves or your child(ren) (perhaps pose them in the snow or wearing a Santa hat while feigning sleep). Either upload and order enough to send with Christmas Cards or put the photo card somewhere you’ll have it when you go to the store next.
• Purchase or otherwise bring home or dust off your Christmas tree.
• Finalize all holiday plans with family members, including your New Year’s Eve plans.
• Schedule to attend a holiday event (like a light show, singing Christmas tree, or a play).
• Inquire into church activities and add them to your schedule.
• Schedule any necessary babysitting now.
• Mail out-of-town gifts and pick up all stamps for sending Christmas Cards and/or Letters.
• Have the cute and creative picture you took processed into prints and send with Christmas Cards and/or Letters.
• At the same time you have your prints made, pick up any Christmas stationery, if you want it, to print your Christmas Letters on and more colored ink for your printer. (Or you can have these printed for you somewhere like Kinkos). Make sure you have enough plain white envelopes for your Christmas Letters, if you are only sending them and not including them with a card.
• Write and print a Christmas Letter to send with or in lieu of Christmas Cards. If you’re foregoing Christmas stationery, you can download free clip art into your word-processing program (such as Microsoft Word) and make a quick banner of reindeer flying across the page or something similar and just print on regular copy paper.
• Address Christmas Card or Christmas Letter envelopes, sign, fold and insert cards and/or letters, add creative pictures and seal Put Christmas Letters in mailbox or sort and take to Post Office for mailing.
• Make a list of people you would like to give food gifts to (people like mail carriers, co-workers, and neighbors). Decide what to give them, schedule the time to make it, and add any needed items to your shopping list. At the same time, plan all of your holiday menus in one fell swoop. List all foods you will need and also any special pans or serving ware. Don’t forget to plan the rest of the month’s meals, keeping them extremely simple. Make one master shopping list and schedule your grocery shopping in two tripsonly: one to do right away for staples and any cookware or serving utensils you might need and a last-minute run for perishable items.
• Try to get the other last-minute Christmas list chores finished during the work week so you won’t be in the stores on the weekend. Instead, attend a holiday event you scheduled. You can also drive around to see the lights in your neighborhood.
• Have a gift-wrapping party. Play holiday music and drink eggnog while you wrap and make pretty all your Christmas gifts. Either do this in a separate room from the rest of your family, take the kids to their grandparents for a visit (after they’ve wrapped their own gifts) or wait until they are in bed. Put a few gifts under the tree and hide the rest.
• Make cookies or candy for last-minute gifts. Don’t forget to include your mail carrier and other service providers.
• Put the last touches on your house and gifts.
• Clean the house and prepare for Christmas guests.
• Throw or attend a Christmas party on the weekend or schedule a family Christmas movie night or Christmas story reading session.
• If you’re having a turkey dinner, be sure and put the turkey in the refrigerator to thaw no later than Sunday, December 20.
• Try to be done with everything no later than Tuesday, December 22, so you can concentrate on your final holiday preparations, your special menus, and your family.
• Put away Christmas gifts and packaging and clean your house.
• Do any needed shopping and preparation for New Year’s Eve.
• Join Old Bohemian Homestead.