A Little Pre-Holiday Planning (made simple!)

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

ON THE BLOG:

As I mentioned in last week's email, our family is enjoying a lull in afternoon and evening busyness from now until the holiday season arrives. 🥳

We're loving the extra time for afternoon hikes, neighborhood football games, yardwork, bonfires, and hut tubbing... but we know the holidays will be here soon (1 month until Thanksgiving -- 2 months until Christmas!) and I want to be prepared.

You know me... I don't do anything extravagant for any holiday. Even still, I enjoy a big Thanksgiving dinner, I always send out Christmas cards, I like to keep a variety of baked goods in the freezer for holiday parties, and I desire to give thoughtful yet clutter-free gifts to special people in our lives.

I keep it simple, I focus on what's most important for me and my family, and I'm not afraid to go against cultural norms or family traditions... but it still all takes time and effort. So I like to plan ahead, especially since I have a little extra time, energy, and bandwidth right now.

If you'd like a simpler, easier, less stressful, more relaxed holiday season focused on what's most important to YOU, I suggest getting a jumpstart on your holiday planning too... this week's content should help.

Happy Pre-Holiday Planning!

simple food.

Did you know you can prepare your entire holiday feast ahead of time... leaving you more time and energy to enjoy your guests?

Everything from salads and sides to desserts and even the turkey can easily be made (and cleaned up) well in advance. I'll show you how!

get my tips + recipes -->

**How to Plan a Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Meal**

organized home.

Celebrate birthdays, holidays, and other special events without the extra clutter.

This HUGE list of 75+ clutter-free gift ideas for all ages and all budgets means you're sure to find a memorable gift for everyone on your list this year!

learn more -->

intentional living.

The holiday season is always busier than we'd prefer... however, it doesn't need to be stressful or cause for dread.

With a little intentionality, we can all enjoy a simpler, more meaningful holiday season -- from Thanksgiving on through the New Year!

keep reading -->

In other news...

Easy Holiday Countdown: Looking for an easy tradition that everyone in your family will love? Try a candy countdown chain. If you really have a sweet tooth, you can start now... or wait until you're a bit closer to the big day.

Skipping Holiday Traditions: If you need permission to change, tweak, or skip a holiday tradition this year... read this post. You're welcome!

Freezer-Friendly Holiday Baked Goods: Get a jump-start on your holiday baking by stashing away several dozen cookies and bars now. I have dozens of delicious cookie recipes that are all easy to make and freezer-friendly. You'll thank yourself later when all those holiday parties come around!

Throw-Back Holiday Photo: This Christmas 2021 picture recently popped up for me, and I miss my fohawk. The ease of my super short hair often makes me wonder if longer hair is "worth it". I'm regularly tempted to chop it all off again... 💇‍♀️