One of the ways the holidays become stressful is lack of time. Being pulled in too many
directions creates stress and overwhelm. Streamlining activities makes it easier to batch
your activities so you’re more efficient with your time. If you do double duty with holiday
activities, you can actually prep for Christmas during Thanksgiving time.

A lot of the prep you do for Thanksgiving is the same for Christmas. Thinking ahead and
doing double duty can help you cut your activities in half and free up important time in
December. If you’re focused and take some extra time to prepare, you can get twice the
benefit from one action. Here’s how
Shop for all non-perishable foods at once– Making a menu and a list of the food
items you need for Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays can help you go shopping one
time for both holidays. Taking the time to itemize your holiday baking, cooking, and
other essentials can help you organize and prep for both holidays. Do one shopping trip
for all non-perishable items and you’re set.

Pro-tip- You can make a master list of the items you typically buy for your holiday
meals. Go through your favorite recipes and start a list of staple items. Make the list
editable and you can add to or subtract items each year. Simply print the list and save
tons of time and energy!

Cook foods in batches and freeze for later– Many foods can be prepped ahead of time
and frozen until needed. No one will know that you didn’t spend all your time and energy
the day of the holiday. Make double batches of foods you will have on Thanksgiving and
Christmas and you’ll be ahead of the game when Christmas rolls around.

Draw names for gift giving– If you will be hosting the same people for Thanksgiving and
Christmas, consider drawing names on Thanksgiving for gift giving in December. Having
each person pick their name makes the activity fun and limiting gifts to the person they
chose is budget friendly. Set a dollar amount that makes everyone’s wallet happy and
you’re set.

Create a décor day during the Thanksgiving break– A lot of people enjoy a four-day
weekend during Thanksgiving. It’s a great time to set aside a day for gathering holiday
décor and getting ready for decorating. In the same way you spring clean, you can
designate a special day during the Thanksgiving break to prep for Christmas decorating.
Many of the activities required for a fabulous Thanksgiving are the same for Christmas.
Planning ahead and doing double duty can help relieve some of the stress in December

When activities ramp up and time feels tight. Consider batching some of your activities
and making things easier on yourself down the road.