Wow, that’s Christmas over for another year.
It always goes so quickly after the big build up!
How do you feel it went, for you and your family?
Perhaps it was very different for you this year due to the pandemic and associated restrictions?
It certainly was for me – I enjoyed a quiet and relaxed Christmas at home, rather than joining the rest of my family for a (noisy) fun-filled day like I usually do.
However you ended up celebrating, now’s the perfect time to review and reflect on how organised you were, what went well, and what could have gone better.
But before you start, it’s important you’re honest with yourself.
You should also acknowledge that it’s okay if your Christmas wasn’t perfect – please, please don’t beat yourself up about it.
Instead, congratulate yourself for what went well, particularly those things that you managed to improve upon compared to previous years.
If anything was less than perfect (or went totally wrong), acknowledge it, write it down, and think about how you can do things differently next time.
Then let it go.
I’m a perfectionist, so I know how hard this can be – but you can do it!
The whole point of Christmas Organised is to be able to have fun and enjoy it more, not to expect absolute perfection and beat ourselves up when we don’t achieve it.
So, let’s get started with our review!
Here are some aspects of your Christmas to think about and help get you going. Have your pen, paper and honesty hat at the ready…
Organisation and planning
What was the ‘worst’ aspect of your Christmas planning and preparation?
How can you avoid the same thing happening in future? Write notes to your future self, add to-dos in your diary and/or Christmas planning file.
If time was an issue, make a mental (and physical) note to start your festive organising a bit earlier next time.
Sometimes a whole weekend of uninterrupted Christmas organising is better than the odd hour here or there.
I recommend keeping a whole weekend available in September, October, November, and December for Christmas-related tasks.
It might sound like a lot (and you may not need all of it), but having a bit of pre-planned flex built in will make your life so much easier nearer the time.
Your Christmas
Ask yourself how YOUR Christmas went and answer honestly. Did you enjoy it? Did it have the magic and sparkle you hoped for?
Were you worn out because you ended up doing all the work, or did you just try to do too much?
If there were elements of the festive season that you enjoyed, what were they? Why did you enjoy them? How could you do more of these things next time?
It’s absolutely fine not to be enjoying yourself the whole time, but if you think there’s one or two things you could do differently next year to make things better for yourself, then make a note and work on it.
Perhaps you could ask others for help or cut back on the number of traditions you take part in? Or maybe you could simply schedule in more ‘you’ time?
Record your conclusions so you can refer back to them later and make the necessary changes.
Spending and giving
Were you satisfied with your level of giving and what you gave (eg your time or money).
Review how much cash you ACTUALLY spent on Christmas.
If you feel you overspent, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, focus on thinking about what spending £200 less on Christmas could give you instead.
It could be a couple of nights away at a seaside B&B, or some theatre tickets, or a nice meal out for the whole family (once Covid lockdowns are finally over!).
As well as reviewing what you spent on Christmas, consider whether you’re spending it on the right things for you.
Did you manage to buy and wrap gifts in good time, or was it a last-minute stress?
Was a gift you gave particularly well-received or did a present seem a little off the mark?
Write a note to yourself for next year so you can either buy something similar – or have a re-think.
Christmas cards
Did you send your cards out on time? Was it a massive rush to get them done? Or maybe you didn’t get around to it at all?
Could you do things differently next year, for example send e-cards instead?
Do some research into the best e-cards (and how they work) now so you can hit the ground running later in the year.
Hosting skills
If you had family or friends in your festive bubble, did it go well? Did everyone get on, was there enough to do, and did people have enough time to themselves?
Did people help out enough?
Did you have enough food, drink and snacks for everyone? Did you have enough bedding and towels?
Was cooking Christmas dinner fun or a nightmare?
Does your furniture ‘work’ for hosting during the festive season? For example, did you have enough chairs at the dining table?
What caused you stress and how could you tweak it next year?
Stock take
Did you have too little or too much of anything this Christmas? Write it down now so you don’t do the same thing again next time.
Are some of your Christmas lights broken, did you misplace some of the decorations or have you used the last gift tag?
Make a note to remind you to buy more, perhaps in the January sales to save yourself some cash.
I hope you find your review of Christmas useful (or even cathartic!) – let me know the main things you learned and will try to do differently next time.
Don’t forget, it’s best to focus on just one or two main changes at a time.
I’d recommend starting with the changes that will have the maximum impact first, as it will help keep you motivated.
Good luck!