Ah, Christmas! The most wonderful time of the year—or, depending on your perspective, the most chaotic. Just four days away and the countdown has begun. Whether you’re a meticulous planner or a last-minute sprinter, the question remains: how do you prepare for the holiday season?
Let’s take a sleigh ride through the different ways people plan for Christmas, and maybe you’ll find a tradition—or inspiration—for your own festivities!
The Master Planners
These are the people who have their Christmas spreadsheets ready by mid-July. Gifts are purchased, wrapped, and color-coded before Thanksgiving. The menu? Locked in. Decorations? Perfectly aligned with a theme that changes yearly (think “Nordic Minimalist” or “Vintage Christmas Chic”). They’re the folks who somehow find time to bake cookies for the neighbors, volunteer at a shelter, and still host the perfect Christmas dinner.
I used to be in this category till my daughters graduated middle school.
Family tradition: A detailed calendar of activities, from tree decorating to caroling, with no moment left to chance.
The Spontaneous Spirits
Who needs a plan? Christmas is about living in the moment! These folks might pick up their tree on Christmas Eve or improvise a holiday feast from what’s in the pantry. Gifts? They’re shopping the night before, braving the crowds and loving every minute of the chaos.
Family tradition: None—but isn’t the unpredictability part of the charm?
The Sentimental Souls
For these families, Christmas is all about tradition. The same ornaments are carefully unpacked each year, some dating back to grandma’s childhood. The same movies are watched (hello, Home Alone), and the same recipes are cooked, with a few tweaks passed down through generations.
Family tradition: A cherished activity, like reading The Night Before Christmas by the fire or baking grandma’s famous sugar cookies.
The Travelers
Why stay home when you can explore? Whether it’s a cabin in the mountains, a tropical beach, or a magical European Christmas market, these folks pack up and take the holiday on the road. For them, the joy of Christmas lies in experiencing something new.
Family tradition: Celebrating Christmas in a different place every year, with a new adventure to share.
The Givers
These are the people who embody the true spirit of Christmas. Their focus isn’t on gifts or décor but on giving back. They spend the season volunteering, donating, and finding ways to make the holiday brighter for others.
Family tradition: Organizing charity drives, preparing meals for the less fortunate, or delivering gifts to those in need.
So, What’s Your Style?
I gravitated from once being a Master Planner to now a mix of everything and mainly preferring the comfort of home.
How about you? Do you stick to tried-and-true traditions, or do you wing it? Is Christmas a whirlwind of travel, or do you prefer the comfort of home? Maybe your holiday is a mix—a little planning, a little spontaneity, and a whole lot of love.
One thing’s for sure: no matter how you prepare for Christmas, it’s the joy of being with loved ones (and maybe a slice of pie) that truly makes it magical.
Now it’s your turn—how do you plan for Christmas? Do you have a family tradition, or are you creating one this year? Let me know in the comments!
Whatever you are and do, I hope that God smiles on you specially this Christmas 🎅🏽🎄🎅🎅🏿🌲🎅🏻
Think-Talk 
Thanks for sharing, SeanKFketcher.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
I hope you all had a great day.
Great to have a family tradition passed down your wife’s generations.
I do have recipes from my grandmother and New Year tradition, but no Christmas ones as my grans were non-Christians.
Being a lover of Jesus, celebrating His birthday and the spirit of the season has become my tradition.
Today, we enjoyed a meal with each one preparing their “best” one. We’ve all gotten tired of turkey. We switched to gumbo (a seafood mix with roasted cajun andouille sausages; no okra though) for the past few years. After meal, we watched The Christmas Basketball Games. Sone fell asleep while watching. We’ll watch one or two Christmas movies afterwards to cap the day.
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There are traditions within my wife’s family. My wife is also a huge Christmas enthusiast. Although she has the overall plan, chaos rules supreme throughout. My wife is a florist, so attention to detail re all gifts and wrapping (which she does herself) starts three days before Christmas.
About two weeks before, my wife will prepare the pickled onions for everybody. A tradition in her family that goes way back.
Her grandmother, who lived until she was 102, was the former cook at a large English manor house 110 years ago (think Downton Abbey). She passed on her recipes for the plum pudding (which is excellent – and I don’t eat it as a rule) and the pickled onions. These recipes are only passed on to the women in the family once they are married.
So, there we have it – some of our Christmas traditions.
A very Merry Christmas to you, TT 🎅🎄🧑🎄
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