What Mommy Wants' 10 Holiday Planning Tips

There's a lot of chatter about all our favorite Winter Holidays. I felt the need to take a break from my Halloween planning to share my top 10 Holiday planning tips with you. There is so little time left if you think about it!

1. Start planning your family photo as soon as possible. If your family is like mine it is difficult to get everyone together at the same time, dressed appropriately and willing to be smile. So you put it off and put it off until time has run out. The sooner you start nagging the sooner it will be done (and more likely to get done)
2. I know you might think this is crazy but start planning your Holiday Cards early. If you want photos cards (like everyone else's) you will need to allow for time to design them online and have them shipped to your home. This goes much faster if you followed my first tip! Check out Storkie Christmas Cards for some great options like the ones above.
3. Where are you going to go? In my family there are probably 3-4 stops to make for holiday gatherings. I suggest planning a "route" start with the farthest house that way you are working your way toward home. If possible split your days. Some families prefer to celebrate on Christmas Day some on Christmas Eve. Or perhaps if you don't have a ton of family around you could host at your home.
4. If you are going to someones house ask if there is anything you can bring. You don't want to get a last minute phone call asking you to bring something. If they say nothing you should still bring a little something. Even if its just Santa's Cookies. We always make too many. This brings me to my next tip.
5. If you plan on having a cookie/candy making day, as I always do, consider inviting some friends for a cookie swap! Each person brings one recipe and all the ingredients. Okay, if you can't decide you can bring 2. Then when finished you divide everything up between you. This means everyone gets a variety of treats without spending a fortune on ingredients you only use once a year.
6. Shopping! I try to get a thing or two at a time. It takes longer, I agree. However, this is a lot less stressful. Personally I try to avoid throwing elbows after a big meal. But that's just me. 
7. More shopping! These days all the fabulous Black Friday sales are available online! Often times they start Thanksgiving Day! Last year I was almost 9 months pregnant on Black Friday, in fact, I was dilated 3 cm! Needless to say, I did a lot of online shopping. 
8. This is more of a family tradition I grew up with and I argue it with my husband every year. We were allowed to open one gift Christmas Eve. My mom  picked it out. It was always our Christmas Pajamas! This makes for happy kiddos and cute (appropriate) photos of Christmas morning too!
9. Never drink at work related holiday events! Unless you enjoy being the butt of many jokes for a few months and then again at the next holiday event. It's always best to just stay professional even if there is an open bar.
10. Have fun, enjoy your family, remain calm, this time doesn't last long. It will end soon. That is a good thing when stressing over everything but a bad thing when you are watching your children grow, and perhaps get along for a few fleeting moments. Take lots of photos!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the Storkie holiday blogging program. I received compensation for my participation. All opinions are 100% mine.