Owning a shop means Christmas is, of course, the busiest time of the year for us. We work right up until the afternoon of Christmas Eve and the closer we get to Christmas Day the more hours we pull. We love it! But it does mean that we have to be organised with our own Christmas plans. We've put together a checklist so that you can get organised too this holiday season!
5 WEEKS OUT
1. Lists Lists Lists.
It’s time to get organised, and the best way to start is to figure out what you need to do. Are you spending the holiday season abroad? Are you hosting the whole family for Christmas lunch? Do you have relatives coming to stay? Whatever you’re planning, your needs are going to be different.
- Who do you need to buy gifts for? Have you got any ideas for gifts yet? Jot them down.
- Are there things you need to do around the home? Replacing light bulbs in the guest room, tidying the garden, re-staining the outdoor furniture.
- Are you travelling? What do you need for your adventure? Books, clothes, toiletteries, luggage. If you have a travel shopping list, get it filled ASAP.
2. Buy your cards, stamps and gift wrapping supplies. Check out our holiday stationery here. Here are some faves...
Fox & Fallow Christmas Dogs Gift Tags, set of 8 tags, $10.
Fox & Fallow Making Spirits Bright Christmas Cards, set of 8 cards, $29.
3. Do you need a party dress? Something for the work Christmas party or to catch up with friends? Something to make you feel great.
4 WEEKS OUT
1. Shop for gifts for out of town friends and family. Wrap and post them.
International post can be expensive, so opt for compact, light gifts. Items that can be sent via Australia Post as a letter will be the most economical to send (just keep them under 2cm in thickness when packing them). Here are some ideas...
Kip & Co Grid Critters Pillowcase, $35. Coq en Pâte Kids' Seal Tee, $33.
Ayana Mini Kiss & Hug Necklace, $39. Danica Studio Wild & Free Zipper Pouch, $29. Hanky Fever Sunny Bulbs Handkerchief, $13.
Shara Porter Anchor Wallet, $60. Humphrey Law Kangaroo Socks, $20.
2. Aim to get your cards written and addressed. Send any international cards.
3. Menu plan for Christmas day. Treat yourself to some Christmas food mags and take the time to sit down with a cuppa and read them - all in the name of research.
4. Once you’ve menu planned write your shopping list. Order anything you need to. For meat we recommend our Northbridge neighbours Torre for quality cuts or Mondo di Carne in Inglewood.
5. Start any tasks around the home.
6. Start ticking a few people off your to-buy-for list. It might feel like you have plenty of time left but the next few weeks with fly past. Avoid the panic shop by doing it now and being decisive. If you see something great, just get it.
3 WEEKS OUT
1. Put up the tree and hang decorations. Best enjoyed with a glass of Champagne at the ready. For non-drinkers, a virgin Moscow Mule is festive and refreshing: just ginger beer with a good squeeze of fresh lime. Lovely.
. Dust off the Christmas tunes or find yourself a Christmas playlist. Find Ruck Rover on spotify and you’ll have access to all our shop playlists, including our our fave indie rock festive tracks.
3. Bake some biscuits so there’s something fresh in the house.
4. Finish any tasks you wanted done around the home.
5. Start seriously shopping for Christmas presents.
6. Make sure you have some extra just-in-case gifts. If someone invites you around don't turn up empty handed. A nice hand soap or tea towel set is a thoughtful gift to give. And if someone brings you a gift that you weren't expecting, or if there are any extra people at your table this year you'll have something at the ready. A cute pair of socks, notebook, handkerchief, colouring book or body wash are crowd pleasers.
Danica Studio Hill & Dale Tea Towel Set, $35. Rifle Paper Co Recipe Cards, $23. Ena Lip Balm $11. Danica Studio Coaster Set, $19. Fox & Fallow Notebook Set of 2, $15. Ena Hand Treatment, from $15.50.
Rice Chevron Serving Spoon, $10.95. Danica Studio Lighthouse Mug, $20. Skateboarding Colouring Book, $18.50. Woven Pear Hello Hot Dog Socks, $20. Ek-ho Coconut & Ek-ho Handsome Coffee Scrubs, $25 each.
2 WEEKS OUT
1. Ideally you’ll have your Christmas shopping finished this week. Wrap all the gifts. Unless you like to have all your gifts matchy-matchy and wrapped the same, take advantage of stores offering free gift wrapping services. We’re always happy to get your items ready to be placed under the tree!
2. Send the rest of your (local) cards early this week.
3. Set up the guest room the week before your guests arrive, with a quick dust, vacuum and bed shake out the day before they arrive. If you have a guest bathroom put some beautiful products in there for your guests. We recommend a suite of Ena products, or grab a couple of Marius Fabre liquid soaps - gentle on the skin, you can put one in the shower as a body wash and other by the sink. Lush!
1 WEEK OUT
1. Shop for perishable food items.
2. Start prepping as much food as you can in advance.
3. Ladies, buy yourself a Christmas Day Dress. Fellas, treat yourself to some new threads too!
Kindling David in the Jungle Dress, $165.
4. Deck out the house with fresh flowers. We buy our blooms from the florists around the corner of Beaufort & Broome Streets in Highgate. We often get bunches here to use in our window displays.
5. Did you leave anyone off your Christmas list by mistake? Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. For last minute gifts, browse our shop online. Choose your gifts, request FREE gift wrapping and select 'Collect in Store' as your shipping method. When you come and pick up your shopping it will all be wrapped and labelled to save you time. Sweet!
Sit back and enjoy the season! Try and squeeze a Christmas movie in there somewhere. Die Hard is obviously the best film of the season, but we all have our favourites. Most of all, enjoy your time with family and friends.