I want to let you in on a holiday hack that makes December a lot less wild and chaotic. It involves a little leg work in September, which may seem extreme, but hang with me for a minute. 

What I want this Christmas season is to be present. To be truly present, not chattering about wishing we could be present. I want to experience each moment as it comes. To enjoy the holiday parties and get-togethers without pulling the hair out of my winter-pale scalp thinking of my mile-long to-do list. The birth of Jesus is a gift, and celebrating that is something I believe God wants for us—not a season He expects us to check all the societal boxes, ending up a frazzled, fried, exhausted crumb of a human crawling into the New Year. 

I want us to have the capacity to be grateful that our Lord and Savior was born of a woman and became a human being. He came to us, for us, and I want us to fully rejoice and celebrate that with all our might, with all our friends and family. 

So. Here is the September rhythm I am advocating we implement this year. 

I cannot fully take credit for it, though, because it was not my idea. As with many wise and savvy life tricks, this one originates from my Granny. Growing up, I was always bewildered that she started her holiday shopping in September. Instead of scrambling for gifts at the last minute, she collected a bit of this and that for family members in the early fall. When she saw something that screamed Anna Rose or Charlie at Home Goods or Scheels, she tucked it away in her super-secret stash.

As a kid, this made no sense to me. Why would she start so early? It’s not December, how is she in the holiday spirit? And if I’m being honest, Does she have anything better to do?

But what I know now, decades later, is that come December, my Granny did, in fact, have better things to do. She had cookie bakes and quiet evenings by the tree to enjoy with her grandkids. She had friends to cheers on chilly evenings and a family to decorate the house with. So she got a task our society has turned into a high-pressure, high-stakes agenda item out of the way before that pressure stole any joy from her family time. 

I get it now. I think it’s genius. I’m not suggesting we get our entire Christmas season mapped out 90 days in advance, but I am encouraging us to start thinking about what our friends and family might enjoy. What gifts, experiences, and items remind us of them? What would bless them this year, specifically, and bring a smile to their faces?

As we move through daily life this fall—grocery shopping, planning our weeks, unloading the dishes—let’s get curious and dream of what we can pick up for our people. Getting the actual planning and purchasing out of the way early relieves so much pressure from the mad dash in December—not to mention, it can free up our December budget if we spread the gift purchases out over a few months. 

We don’t have to buy every gift for every person this right this second. But starting a list of ideas and getting in the mindset of, “Oooh, my mom would love X, Y, or Z!” makes gift-giving much more fun. Giving becomes a more thoughtful, gratifying, intentional process.. Which, given Christmas is truly about celebrating, honoring, and remembering the treasure we’ve received in Jesus, taking care of gift-giving early keeps us in a more celebratory and generous spirit. And at the end of the day, isn’t that how we want our hearts to be not just in December, but every day?

So let’s do ourselves a favor and care for our mental well-being, capacity, and stress levels this Christmas and do some prep. I’m in it with you—let me know what your favorite go-to gift shops, items, and ideas for your peeps are in the comments!