by Silva Payne

Created on: April 06, 2009

It may be the time of year when most people are thinking about their summer holidays, and trying to forget the recent rain and snow, but the earlier you start planning for Christmas the easier it can be on your pocket and your nerves. Christmas, or any other big holiday time that involves lots of food, gifts and organisation, can be very stressful. Leaving even some of the planning until the last minute will almost certainly mean that things will get forgotten or your budget will run out before the last item is safely wrapped or cooked. Below are a few tips on forward planning for the festive season, which can be applied to any other public, family holiday time.

Make a list: this is fundamental to being organised. You will probably end up with several lists based on your original, but start by writing down or typing out exactly what areas you need to cover for your celebration. These will probably include the headings of food, drink, people to buy gifts for, people to send cards to, people to visit, people to invite over and decorations. From these, you can start making your working lists: take a heading and write down everything you would like to include in that section. For example, if the heading is Food, think about the specific meals you need to cater for, and all the ingredients needed, plus any snacks and extras. Once this has been done for all your working lists, don't be too disheartened forward planning means you have more time to achieve all your goals!

From now on, you need to organise yourself around your working lists. Some you wont need to look at again for a while, but others, such as
'People to buy gifts for' will probably live in your purse or handbag so that you can refer to it often. Work out a budget for all your gift purchases, and then divide it between the recipients on your list. Keep it on the conservative side initially, because with all the extra time you are going to have to do the purchasing in, you will undoubtedly be able to top up with small extra gifts later one. For now, concentrate on the main gifts for children and other close relatives. Then, with list safely in hand, set out once a month to buy the gifts in ones and twos and tick them off your list. If you are planning to make some of the gifts yourself, get started on those immediately.

For food and drink, consider paying into a savings club or scheme, either by purchasing stamps every time you do you normal grocery shopping, or by paying into a catalogue club that will then

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