Stress Free Holidays Part 4
Final Preparations And Halloween Planning Tasks
This week our main priority is Halloween planning, as part of the Stress Free Holidays Series, because Halloween is at the end of this week!
However, we will also continue on with some additional Christmas planning and preparations, to keep things moving along for Christmas too.
Can you believe we are already into week 4 of this series? That means that there are only 9 weeks left until Christmas! Time is sure flying by.
I hope you are doing well with your preparations. I know this series is motivating me, and I have gotten more accomplished this year so far and have had some fun times with my kids already.
Halloween Planning For This Week: Last Minute Halloween Preparations
From our previous weeks of this series you have already gotten or made Halloween costumes for your kids, decorated your home, set a menu for Halloween night, and considered your Halloween traditions.
This week comes the really fun part -- preparing for and then actually celebrating this holiday. (I know Halloween is technically next Monday this year, which is when we'll start Week 5 of the series, but practically this is the week you'll do all the rest of your Halloween planning.)
Task 1: Buy Your Halloween Candy And Other Supplies For Your Meal - Buy your candy for the trick or treaters, if you haven't already, and while at the store make sure to pick up anything else you need for your Halloween meal. I did not suggest this task earlier in the series, even though I generally like to get things done ahead of time, for the following reason -- I tend to eat the candy if I buy it early. So my philosophy on this one is to save it for the last minute and save a few calories too!
Task 2: Carve Your Pumpkins - You may have already done this one too. I know several people on my block have, but I have found that when we do it too early the pumpkins start to look rotted and caved in by Halloween night. That is why we like to save it until the week of Halloween at our house.
Resources on this site:
Task 3: Prepare For A Safe Halloween - If your kids have costumes that are dark in color make sure you get some reflective tape to place on their costumes. You may also like to get some glow sticks and fresh batteries for flash lights to make sure everyone can see well as they walk along the sidewalk as it gets dark, and that others can see your family too.
Task 4: Enjoy Halloween Night With Your Family - You've done all the Halloween planning, so now it's time to reap the rewards of those incremental steps. Enjoy your Halloween night with the ones you love. Make sure to take lots of pictures, and maybe pop in a family Halloween movie after trick or treating as a fun way to unwind.
Christmas Preparations For This Week: Begin Buying And Wrapping Gifts
I don't have too much that you need to do this week for Christmas planning, because this is actually the week of Halloween, so Halloween planning is the priority. However, I have a task you won't finish this week, but should at least start -- gift buying and wrapping.
Have you ever had a marathon wrapping session the night before Christmas, and stayed up way too late and been bleary eyed when the kids tore through all that paper just a few hours later? I know I have, and I didn't think it was much fun.
My solution -- wrap as you go. When you buy a present go ahead and wrap it up, fasten on a secure label, and mark your Christmas gift list you have created to remind yourself that you bought or made the present, it is wrapped, and where you stored it.
Resources on this site:
Also, if you are spacing out your purchases for budgeting reasons make sure to prioritize the ones that you will make, so you can go ahead and buy the supplies, and also the ones that need to be shipped. That way you have time to take those packages to the post office before the long lines begin to form, and so you can pay only regular shipping, not any extra rush charges too.
How Is It Going For You So Far? Tell Me Below In The Comments
I am personally using my own series to work through getting ready for the holidays this year. If you are too I want to know how it is going for you, so tell me in the comments section below. Share your successes and your setbacks and maybe I or another reader can help you, or cheer you on with motivation and support!
Previous Parts Of The Stress Free Holiday Series
If you missed the previous parts of this series, you can still jump in. There is always time to start.
Here is the previous challenges:
If You're Reporting On Your Progress For This Challenge On Your Own Blog Grab This Button!
If you have your own blog, and report on your experience or success with your Halloween planning and other tasks this week I would love it if you grabbed my button to place on your posts so everyone can participate!
Here's the code:
Related Links At Household Management 101
Holidays And Celebrations With Your Family
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