DIY Christmas in July Preparation

I know it is only July and talking about the cold winter months ahead only brings chills down your back. After all the cold winter weather only ended about 2 months ago. But trust me it is never too early to start getting ready for Christmas. The last thing you want to do is rush and stress last minute because you didn’t give yourself enough time to get ready. Starting DIY Christmas in July preparation allows you to better cope with the last minute things that you forget in November or December.

Start with a List

This is the month that I start with a list. I make the following lists:

Gifts: This is a list of gifts I will be giving to my kids, nieces, nephews, grandparents etc. You get the idea. I also create a separate gift list for my kids teachers.
Christmas Cards: This includes family, friends and clients and are all handmade. Some with family photos and some are Christmas cards
Calendars: Every year I share a photo calendar to godparents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. It shows how my children have grown throughout the months.
Decorations: Christmas decorations that I found missing last year or I just want to change up. I try to DIY all of them
Loot Bags: This is small little gifts that I include with my cards for colleagues, or neighbors. Such as chocolate, cookies, etc. In September, I create a separate list for the kids loot bags as well. These are loot bags or little gifts like a fidget spinner or a book that I package for the students in my kids class or the students in my class. I wait for September because I’m able to ask the teacher’s for accurate numbers and I am able to see how many students are in my class. I normally make a few extra loot bags in case a new student registers.

Prioritize

So know that you have created your lists, it is time to prioritize. I normally start with the one that has the longest list, which is the cards and begin to design some of my cards in July. I only try to design 1/3 of the cards now because Stampin’ Up has a holiday catalog that comes out in September, which I get my hands on in August. One of the perks of being a demo, is that I get to see and order from the Holiday catalog in August. And I love to use new products with the old.

So if you are like me and love Christmas, now would be the perfect time to sign as a demonstrator. You don’t need to run a business to get a discount. I started as a demo 7 years for the discount and I still enjoy the discount. When you sign up this month, Stampin’ Up will throw in a set of ink pads of your choice. For more information click the link below.