The holiday season will be here before we know it, but there are a few things you should have on hand before the Christmas season rolls in to make sure you’re ready for it. Today, I’m sharing 5 things you should already have BEFORE the Christmas season begins.
With the calendars turning to November, Christmas is definitely in the air. Even if you haven’t dug out the the tree and twinkling lights just yet (I know many of my American friends like to wait until after Thanksgiving, lucky for us, Thanksgiving comes much earlier here in Canada!), you’ve probably at least started thinking about the holiday season ahead.
I have to say, after the year we’ve had, I’m more excited than ever to welcome in the magic and nostalgia of the holidays.
View from our cozy lights at night tour in 2018
If you read Monday’s “Currently“ post, or caught my stories on Instagram this past weekend, you’ll know that we’ve already started to put out a few Christmas decorations around here – mainly anything with lights on it because that’s always the coziest part if you ask me.
We’ve still got a few more bins to dig out and scatter around the house. Usually we spend the better part of a day unpacking every last thing, but I think this year we might just stretch it all out a bit and really let ourselves ease into the magic of this season. As we started pulling things out, deciding what few things we wanted to put out first, it got me thinking about those “staple” items of Christmas, you know, the things you wouldn’t want to do Christmas without. Now obviously, it’s not the things, but the people in your life that make this time of year (and every other day really) so special, but there’s definitely a few fun traditions that we like to bring into our holiday season that really just make it feel like Christmas. Hanging a welcoming wreath on our door, decorating the tree together with all of our most special and nostalgic ornaments, and of course lighting up our home with all the festive lights (I’m hoping we’ll give Clark Griswold a run for his money someday!) – these are just some of the things that really make Christmas feel so special. So today, to make sure we’re all ready for some of the most special holiday traditions that come with the beginning of the Christmas season, I wanted to share five things that you should have on hand BEFORE the Holiday season begins.
5 Things you Should Have on hand BEFORE the Christmas Season Begins
a wreath
Is there anything more inviting than a beautiful wreath hanging on the front door?
Our front door wreath is usually the first thing I switch out with each change in season. And of course, like everything Christmas around our house, I like to add a few more to the mix through the holidays – usually one hanging over each window and an extra over the garage door as well. It’s such a simple way to scatter some pops of colour and holiday charm and I really think it makes our home look so cozy + inviting.
outdoor lights
Now, we haven’t quite reached Clark Griswold status just yet (you better believe I’m working on it though!), we do have a few strings of lights and outdoor decorations that I always look forward to light up. Here in the land of cold + snow, we tend to get our lights up pretty early (most of the time before Halloween even) – we don’t turn them on until November 1st usually, but it’s much easier and safer to install them before the snow comes. We tend to wait until November before putting out our wreaths or any other decor though.
an advent calendar
If you’ve got kiddos in the house (or maybe you’re just young at heart), an advent calendar is definitely something you’ll want to make sure you have ready before December rolls in. We’ve always got a couple on the go for Carson – an old felt one from when I was a child (similar here) hangs on the door in our back family room with a new ornament to hang on the felt tree each day and then some sort of lego advent calendar as well (here’s the one we picked up for this year) with a new little toy to build each morning before school (it’s the best way to get Carson moving a little faster in the mornings too!). Last year, we also found this adorable advent book – we all look forward to reading a chapter together before bed each night!
a christmas tree
I mean this one probably goes without saying, but what would Christmas be without a glowing Christmas tree? I tend to decorate the one in our front living room with all of my prettiest ornaments, but the the tree in our back family room is where we hang all of the most nostalgic and special ornaments that we’ve collected over the years. I love that we get to have both trees in our home – not only do I not have to compromise on either tree, but we get to enjoy the glow of a Christmas tree no matter which space we’re hanging out in!
a holiday candle
Filling our home with the smells of Christmas is one of the first things I do – before I dig out even one Christmas decoration, I always light a festive holiday candle and turn on some Christmas music. There’s no better way to find that Christmas spirit than filling our home with the scents and sounds of the holidays!
I usually purchase a new one each season (they never seem to last through Christmas), but I’m thinking I might try making my own this year with this simple tutorial and my favourite holiday essential oil.
I hope you found today’s post helpful as you gear up for the holiday season ahead. I’d love to hear, what are some of the first things you put out for Christmas?
Wishing you SUCH a lovely day!
I can't wait to hear your thoughts!