When it comes to the holiday season things can get chaotic real quick. That’s why I like to plan things out as far in advance as possible without feeling like a total control freak. (Just the regular amount of control freak.)
Combine this need for control with my love of clothes and you get Holiday Family Outfit Planning! Yay! Although all of this is totally unnecessary and definitely doesn’t need to be added stress to your already very busy life, there are a couple reasons why I do this besides putting outfits together in hopes of getting a nice family picture. ( Let’s face it trying to get that perfect pictures leaves me sweaty and most likely with a cracked molar from talking to my kids through my teeth.
The biggest reason I plan outfits ahead is to save money. Running around last minute searching for stuff is a really easy way for me to blow my budget through the roof. I always start my search at home. (More for me and my husband than the kids though.) It usually helps give me a jumping off point for color scheme or style for things I may need to buy. My personal victory was finding a super pretty dress that we already had (hand me down from an older cousin) for my daughter to use for our Christmas card.
I like to make sure that the things we get for special occasions can be worn again. Novelty Christmas tees are used again for something comfy to change into on Christmas day. My daughters Christmas day outfit hopefully used again next year for Christmas eve. ( As long as it still fits, I have had this workout in the past so I’m optimistic.) But, obviously with a different colored shirt underneath because we all know that white shirt is not making it through one round of Grandma’s macaroni let alone two.
Also, with our social interactions still being very limited we don’t have as many holiday events as we normally would. In either case planning everything out ahead of time ensures nothing gets forgotten, everything gets worn and I’m not panic buying things at the last minute.
Here is my planning process;
- Go through the calendar and make a list of every event in order.
- Start going through closets looking for pieces you know you want to use.
- Collect and label pieces you have
- Make a google or power point document to keep track of the pieces you already have for each event.
- Make a list of things you need to buy
- As you are shopping and buying things add each piece to the document. (You can screen grab directly from your order if you are ordering online.)
- Make notes on the document of things you don’t want to forget. (Packing extra outfits for the kids, a back up pair of shoes ,etc.)
I label everything and put both kids outfits in my daughters closet along with any of the matching accessories. That way no one touches it and if I am not the one to get them dressed my husband isn’t searching around for the “thing that goes with the other thing”.
This honestly relieves a lot of stress for me. It’s something I enjoy doing. Knowing that a small part of our holiday planning is done and I can focus on enjoying the Holidays with my family and not worrying about what little detail I may have forgotten.
Hope this helps or inspires you to do something to make your Holidays easier! Now sit and smile or no special treat for you! 🙂
Happy Planning!
