For some of you, you’ll be sorry to hear but Christmas is right around the corner.

That means, kids are off school, telling you they’re bored over and over again. It also means holiday shopping, endless holiday shopping.

It’s less than a month away which means the planning needs to start right now or we’ll end up tearing all our hair out before we even get to the Christmas day photos. Uh-oh. So plan we must and plan we will, but what about keeping the kids entertained over the busy holiday period?

Promises of later

There are certain aspects of Christmas planning that we just can’t let the kids in on – like gift shopping. So what do you do to keep them busy while you’re busy shopping? Let them pick a fun activity to do later in the day when you’ve finished your Christmas prep, yes you’ll be exhausted but at least this way you’ll get out the door.

Activities for you and the kids:

• String up fairy lights outside to get them into the Christmas spirit
• Go Christmas light sight-seeing in the car, don’t forget to crank up the Christmas tunes
• Watch a classic Christmas kids movie, like Rudolph or Home Alone
• Bake Christmas cookies (night is the perfect time for Christmas baking in Australia to avoid the extra heat of cooking)
• Light your fire pit and entice the kids with a marshmallow-y treat as the sun goes down

“Fire pits are the new TV – and a great place for conversations with kids or guests as you watch the flicker of the flames.” –  Lisa Green, Editor in Chief of Australian House & Garden

Let them join in

Unless it’s Christmas shopping for the kids (and so long as they can keep a secret), let them join you as you go shopping. Sure it might take a few more trips due to those tired little feet and always hungry tummies but they’ll have wonderful Christmas preparation memories that will last them a lifetime.

If it’s not the shopping then get them to join in with the Christmas decorating and food preparation. Of course, they won’t be roasting a turkey any time soon but there are many easy Christmas cooking recipes online that the kids could be in charge of (granted they’re not too young). Better yet, get one of their older siblings to help them.

Go online

If you’re still doing most of your Christmas shopping out of the house, get into 2016 and do your Christmas shopping online. It will save you multiple headaches as you can find what you really want (often at lower prices) much faster and easier than going to stores. This way you can stick to your normal routine in the lead up to the Christmas holidays and get your shopping done by going online after the kids have gone to bed.

Tips for online Christmas shopping:

• As you’ll likely be buying a lot of items keep a list of all the things you’ve bought and for whom (this will save you your sanity, trust me)
• Stick to a budget (it can be a little more difficult to stick to a budget when shopping online as you’re not handling actual cash money – keep a list of recipients and prices so you don’t go overboard)
• Create a secret Pinterest board with all your gift ideas – throughout the year whenever anyone mentions anything they’d like or need keep a note of it on the board, that way you’ll never be left in the moments before Christmas wondering what to get

I hope these tips will help you to get through your Christmas preparations without a hitch and keep your sanity intact. Merry Christmas!

Are you finished your Christmas shopping already? Share with us below.

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