Holiday Organizing Made Simple: Christmas Checklists & Printables

For years, I would tell myself, this will be the Christmas where I’m calm, collected, and sipping cocoa (or wine) instead of running around with tape in my hair. And you know what? Once I finally started creating my lists and plans early, the chaos truly turned into calm.

Welcome to my Holiday Organizing Made Simple hub. This is your cozy headquarters for stress-free Christmas planning. You’ll find timelines, checklists, and printable planner pages to help you stay ahead on gift shopping, decorating, meal planning, and more. Whether your home is 1,300 sq., ft., or a whole lot more, these simple systems will help you to stay organized and focused and even giving you some time left over for a Hallmark movie (or two).

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Holiday Planning & Making Lists

If you’re new to Living Large in A Small House, you will find out that I’m a bit crazy about lists and organizing. I’m also old-school—there’s just something satisfying about crossing things off on paper.

When it comes to my Christmas lists, I’ve designed some really pretty versions that can be printed and tucked right into my planner. Each one helps me stay visually focused and less likely to forget what’s next.

Become a friend of Living Large in A Small House and you can access all of my Printables.

Christmas Gift Shopping Organization

The way that I shop has evolved over the years. When my kids were young, there seemed to be endless lists—grandparents, cousins, teachers, even the dog.

Later, as they got older, surprises were less of a priority, and they’d give me a short list using our family rule.

• Something they want
• Something they need
• Something to wear
• Something to read

Now, we typically buy one larger gift for each married couple and a few meaningful items for our youngest.

Gift Buying Guidelines

These are the principles that keep holiday shopping manageable:

• Set a budget per person (double for a couple gift).
• Ask for lists early so you can take advantage of sales.
• Ship larger items directly to their home if they won’t be home for the holiday.
• We once tried a “Secret Santa” year when everyone was traveling—fun in theory, but one gift per person just wasn’t as magical.

Other Gift Giving Ideas

While this works well for us now, there may come a time when we focus more on thoughtful or budget-friendly options:

• Family Experience Gifts: Airbnb weekend, theater tickets, or camping trip
• Thoughtful Homemade Gifts: Quilt, memory book, or upcycled furniture, (Handy’s specialty)
• Memberships/Passes: Museums, zoos, or parks
• Classes/Workshops: Cooking, painting, or a MasterClass subscription

A little creativity can turn even simple ideas into heartfelt gifts that cost more love than money.

Preparing for Christmas Decorating

This is the time of year when many people go all out. Since rebuilding our greenhouse, I now have an extra space to decorate—which means budgeting for both purchases and storage.

Before diving in:

• Create a mood board for your theme.
• Set a budget and a digital shopping list
• Purge older or broken decor to make room for new finds

Indoor Christmas Decor

Start shopping early—by November 1st, the white lights are already disappearing from store shelves!

My decorating checklist includes:

• New or replacement lights
• Ornaments that fit this year’s theme
• Wrapping paper and coordinating ribbon

Outdoor Holiday Decor

• Test all your lights before hanging them
• Check with your local nursery early to see if you need to pre-order specialty items like tree tops or larger wreaths.

Holiday Entertaining & Meal Planning

With calendar in hand, Handy and I plan out when family will be in town, who we’ll host, and any events we’ll attend. That schedule becomes the blueprint for preparing our home and planning meals.

If you’re hosting:

• Choose your date early
• Create a guest list
• Plan your menu (including drinks)
• Send invitations early—everyone’s calendar fills quickly

Use a calendar timeline to schedule each task. You can see my Thanksgiving timeline HERE—the same strategy works perfectly for Christmas.

Also check out my posts:

• Entertaining on a Budget → HERE
• My Entertaining Series → HERE

Holiday Cleaning, Organizing, and Purging

Once my timeline is set, it’s time to prep the house. Decorating often overlaps with deep cleaning and decluttering.

Inside Cleaning

• Deep clean shelves and swap out fall decor for Christmas
• Donate or sell items you no longer love.
• Clean and organize the pantry; inventory what you have and what you’ll need.

Guest Prep

• Inventory guest linens, towels, and pillows
• Repurpose worn sheets and towels as rags or paint drop cloths
• Wash guest linens about two weeks before company arrives.

Outside Cleaning

• Clean up fall debris and pumpkins before outdoor decorating
• Purge outdoor decor that’s damaged or outdated before storing.

Benefits of Organizing for the Holidays

When you’re organized, your stress level drops dramatically. I’ll admit, I work well under pressure—but it doesn’t always bring out my best side (Handy and my family can confirm!)

One of my most popular post, How to Prepare for a Busy Week, dives deeper into managing overwhelm—and there’s even a podcast episode with therapist Lori Corrigan offering professional insight.

While I adore paper planning, I also keep digital notes in Google Docs or Excel—perfect for updating lists on the go.

Final Thoughts

This post is your big-picture holiday blueprint, but over the next few weeks, I’ll be breaking each category into its own detailed guide—complete with printables and step-by-step tips.

Remember: If you’re a Friend of Living Large in A Small House, you already have access to all of my Holiday Reproducibles and FREE Printables – perfect for your Christmas planner or binder.

Peace and Love,

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