Inside: why getting ready for Christmas early isn’t a virtue, and how saving the mess, the music, and the memories for December keeps the season special. You aren’t behind.
If you’ve ever found yourself on December 22, sitting cross-legged on the living room floor with scraps of paper everywhere and a roll of tape stuck to your sweater, you’ve probably felt that creeping guilt…I should have had this done weeks ago. But…why? who decided that last-minute wrapping is a moral failing? Somewhere along the line, being “ahead” became a badge of honor, and the rest of us started to feel like slackers. The truth? Those frantic, glitter-covered nights are part of the story
The Modern Rush Mentality
We’re told (loudly and often!) that getting Christmas “done” early is the secret to a stress-free holiday. Ads sell bins for labeled cookies. Influencers film “Christmas prep in July” hauls. Pinterest boards promise that freezing your sugar cookies in October will leave you serene and glowing come December. But here’s the truth: moving the work to October doesn’t make it disappear. It just stretches the to-do list across more months and turns a joyful season into a quarter-year project.
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Somewhere along the way, homemaking became tangled up with productivity culture: perfect systems, perfect pantries, perfect timelines. Even Christmas has been folded into a checklist mentality. And if you’re not two months ahead, you’re made to feel like you’re failing at joy itself. But that’s a lie.
What We Lose When We Get Ready Too Soon
Because December is supposed to the be December. Christmas prep is what so much of it is about. If you have everything done and tucked away by December first, then you spend that part of the. year… doing what? Living your life normally, like it’s mid-April? What was the point of it all?
Why not enjoy candy cooling on the counter while carols on the radio (yes I think you should listen to live radio but we’ll discuss that later)? Why not take a last-minute to the drugstore on December 23rd on a chilly night when you realize you’re out of tape? Why are you planning away all of these moments.
December should feel different….electric and alive…not pre-packaged months ahead.
The Practical Downside of Over-Prepping
Getting too far ahead isn’t just unnecessary. It can backfire:
- Overbuying! Gifts tucked away for months get forgotten. By December, you’re second-guessing your stash and buying “just one more thing,” blowing the budget.
- Changing tastes: Kids change their minds. That “must-have” toy in October might be old news by December.
- Stale treats: Frozen cookies or candies can get freezer burn or hidden behind the chicken stock—only to resurface in March.
- Annoying storage problems: Extra bins and bags clutter your home for weeks, and you’re digging through closets to find what you already bought.
How This Became a Thing
The push to “get Christmas done” earlier didn’t happen by accident. Retailers realized years ago that stretching the season boosts sales, so Christmas crept closer to Halloween. Over time, early promotions became the norm. Now, stores roll out décor before the pumpkins are put away, and social feeds follow suit because people genuinely love sharing holiday inspiration.
Layer on our modern obsession with productivity….color-coded bins, perfectly scheduled calendars….and suddenly, waiting until December feels almost rebellious. But the truth is, this timeline wasn’t set by tradition or by what’s best for families. It’s just the by-product of marketing and a culture that loves to optimize everything. You’re not failing by sticking to December. You’re simply choosing not to outsource the magic to October.
Instead, Plan But Don’t Do
Thinking ahead is smart. But doing everything months early steals December’s soul. Jot down gift ideas if it keeps you sane. Pick a baking day and block it off so it actually happens. But don’t fill your freezer in October or stash every present by Labor Day.
Keep a simple gift list, but leave the shopping for when the lights are up and the music’s on. Choose one baking day close to Christmas so the kitchen smells like Christmas, not fall break. And leave some blank space for sledding, dropping cookies to a neighbor, or trying a new recipe on a whim. Planning protects the season. Over-prepping drains it.
Enjoy the Season
Stop apologizing. December is when Christmas belongs.
It is nice to remember that Christmas is not about speed and stress and crowds of people. It is also not about a competition to be the best at gifting, wrapping or making sure everyone is so grateful for YOU/ME..
It is about an amazing gift given to us so that we may celebrate that gift and remember how important that day was, 2000 years ago.
We are doing a no-buy ornaments/decoration Christmas this year, and only using what we have on the property or already own, to make the home feel like a celebration of the light and love given to us.
Gifts will not be wasteful or just for the sake of giving a last minute object, but instead, a gift of gratitude and time and thought.
The world has become so sterile and static with so much random purchasing and technology driving our actions. It is nice to stop, listen to the world, and respond with gratitude for all that we are given, and passing it on to those we love, and those who are in need.
I love your posts. They have given me a sense of calm, and renewed ideas of what our home should reflect, vs. impress.
Thank you!
Thank you so much Morgan. I love the spirit of enjoying what you have. I believe you would like the book “the gap and at the gain”. not exactly the on topic, but related to this.
I LOVE Christmas and usually start the music in October but last year I could NOT get into the “spirit” no matter what I did. While sitting outside enjoying a beautiful fall day, I started thinking of how Christmas was when I was younger (Before internet shopping). How much I loved going to the crowded stores – even if I didn’t buy anything – just to see the decorations and hear the music and finding something I wasn’t expecting to find. I’d made up my mind that this year everything was gonna wait till the day after Thanksgiving (which is late in the month so our time is short). Finding your article felt like a confirmation!! Thank you so much! I love everything you put out there. You’re a God send to me. Happy Holidays!
This was a wonderful article. Recently, I found Christmas gifts from 2 years ago that I forgot all about. I make most of my gifts, so starting early is a must for that, but purchasing gifts is going to wait this year. The vintage artwork you’ve used is tender and nostalgic. Where did you come across such beautiful pictures?
As always, you are a wellspring of wisdom! Love your point that it’s not a “moral failure.” We often joke about my dad’s last-minute-late-night-frantic-wrapping, but truthfully, that is a thing that I’ll miss when he is gone one day. I also love the idea of reframing the stress and mania into the magic of the season. It’s just this one time of year we get to do these things! Another great post as usual Katie. Thanks for the insight.
thank you Shelby! yes let the crazy wrapping just be part of the season, not every day should be exactly the same 🙂
Such a refreshing look at this season! Thank you! Just discovered your blog and excited to read more.
thank you Shannon! I am glad you’re here 🙂
This is a great post, and I’m so glad I stumbled upon it!
For me, there is one tiny exception I make, which helps our family, specifically. Since I homeschool our kids, and because they have a lot of family out of state, AND because we’re on a budget (!), I sometimes have the kids make homemade gifts in the months leading up to Christmas. This helps on several fronts:
1.) It adds Arts/Crafts to our homeschool in a meaningful way.
2.) It means more heartfelt gifts for family members we don’t see often, as opposed to storebought stuff, and,
3.) I have to get those packages shipped in October or early November to make sure they arrive before Christmas. Last year, because of mail delays, one package didn’t arrive until January! Crazy.
I must say, though, that I really love having December sweet aside for all things Christmas. It really is wonderful to have that to look forward to!
yep these are great points. and I confess if I see something on FB marketplace for a gift in october/ November I grab it.
Great article! I shared this on Facebook so my family and friends can see it too. God bless you!
thank you hermina!
Thank you, Katie. Your article has removed my guilt about doing everything in December. Thank you for making me see the joy of creating in the Christmas season. God bless you.
Oh Genevieve I’m so glad it helped you.
Amen. Enough said. 🙃
Thank you very much for this article. I am quite a “last minute” type of person and yes, I usually feel guilty a bit, when I donť have gifts for all my beloved ones at the end of November. I also usually don’t know, which presents my dears would like, it’s really hard for me to buy a good gift. So I usually promise to myself every year – I will buy presents earlier next year, no stress before Christmas! But then – the period of feeling stressed is longer, because I try to buy nice presents since September. But then it’s beginning of December and I still don’t have them, because I don’t have ideas. Three months of stress, no presents and feeling guilty. So, this year, thanks to your article, I won’t think about presents since December and results will be the same, but without that stres. And nicer autumn too. Thank you again 🙂
hi klara! I’m so glad this is helpful. the shopping time will come when it comes and that is that 🙂
Excellent advice. I love my little Christmas list book which is always kept handy, if I’m shopping throughout the year and see something just right it gets bought, noted down and put away for a crazy evening of wrapping in December.
You’ll not see a decoration up in my house until the first Sunday in advent and we’ll keep the tree up until epiphany.
I love that Diane!and yes I agree if something presents itself go ahead and grab it!
This was one of the best articles on the reasons behind what has happened to our Christmas seasons and putting the breaks on and thinking for ourselves instead of what the media crams down our throats, thank you !
thank you Diane for the kind message!