Bonus Episode 2: Procrastinator’s Christmas Prep Plan – Day 2 – Your Schedule is About to Get Crazy!

Getting Your December Schedule Together

Before anything else can get organized, it helps to know exactly what’s actually coming during December. Without that, it’s easy to be blindsided by a school event or a family obligation that quietly needed prep days in advance. Grab a simple monthly calendar, a basic grid with blank boxes is plenty, and pencil, since so much of this will shift as the month unfolds.

Start with what’s already fixed

Mark down kids’ days off from school first, those are usually already set in stone. Then check for any emails about school parties, plays, performances, or teacher appreciation moments, and note not just the date but anything you’re responsible for bringing, cookies, supplies, a specific item. Do the same for anything happening through church, sports, or extracurricular activities, including scheduled breaks or performances during the season.

Then widen out to the rest of life

Add any neighborhood or community events worth catching, a tree lighting, caroling, whatever your area does. Note a spouse’s days off, any work obligations or holiday parties either of you need to attend, and travel dates, whether that’s your own trip or family coming to visit. If certain days are already spoken for by tradition, a specific Christmas Eve gathering, a set day with extended family, get those locked in too.

Step back and take stock

Once everything’s on the page, take a breath. A full-looking calendar can feel overwhelming at first glance, but having it all visible in one place is exactly what prevents last-minute surprises. From here, look for the empty squares, especially in the earliest days of the month, and treat those as prime opportunities to knock out tasks from your pending list before the calendar gets busier closer to the holiday.

Let the calendar feed your pending list

As you fill in dates, it’s common to realize something new needs doing, a gift for a teacher, an ugly sweater for a party, supplies for a classroom event. Whenever that happens, jot it down as its own sticky note on your pending list right away, rather than trusting yourself to remember it later.

Your practical, actionable step

Sit down with a calendar and pencil today and fill in every fixed date for December: school days off, events, sports and activities, community happenings, work obligations, and travel. Then scan for open days early in the month and mark those as your best windows to make real progress on your pending list.

Until next time, continue to choose joy.