My Prepping for Holiday Decorating Checklist
November 07, 2025
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Prepping for stress free Christmas decorating!
November and December are the craziest two months of the year for our family.
I'm sure it's that way for most!
Not only do we have the holidays and a few parties here and there, but
six family birthdays (including my son and husband's), and our
wedding anniversary in the span of three weeks.
Add in some travel, and I'm already stressing a bit about getting it all done.
😬
I'm a list person -- writing down all of my to do's (and then crossing them
out) soothes my soul and makes feel like I've got a handle on things.
A couple years ago, I started making a list of things I wanted to get done to
prep our house for the holidays, and I still use it today.
I even made it into an excel spreadsheet. #nerd
These Christmas prep ideas aren't decor or gift related, like picking out a color
scheme or the perfect present. Instead it's a list of things I do that make me feel
ready to tackle the decorating.
Maybe these tips will help keep the start to your holiday decorating stress
free as well!
1. Stock up on supplies
Most people stock up on food or entertaining items this time of year...I stock
up on all the little gadgets that make my decorating easier! 😂
I use these 3M Command strips and hooks all over for our Christmas
decor:
They secure our garland on the mantel and staircase, greenery above mirrors
and doorways, even to hang our wreaths on the windows outside.
I use the clear hooks that can hold two to three pounds and they stay up all year -- I've only had to replace a few
in all these years!
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Zip ties and pine cleaners are so useful for holiday decorating as
well:
We switch up one of the sofas and the set of swivel chairs, so the tree can
go in front of our big window on that side of the room:
I'm thinking about trying out the tree off to the side a bit this time -- I'm
just not sure my symmetry loving self will like that.
These green pine cleaners disappear in greenery and make it easy to attach
garland and stems together:
I also stock up on batteries -- mostly for our window candles. I put them up
in November and they're still going at the end of December.
2. Deep clean and wash items
I don't know about you, but I LOVE to give everything a good clean before I
drag out all of the decorations. Even though it feels silly after the fact,
when there's tree needles and glitter all over the place! 😂
Our creamy sofa cushions get washed this time of year:
You can read how I take care of our white couches
(even with four pets!).
I pull out the Christmas hand towels and pillow covers and give them a good
wash as well:
And I always clean our rugs, so they're nice and clean for the season:
I don't know why I feel like a deep clean is necessary, but it's like
cleaning the house before we leave on vacation -- just something I've always
done that's routine for me.
3. Make room for the tree
Now that everything is clean, it's time to move things around!
We change up our great room furniture layout just slightly every year, to
give us space for the Christmas tree:
But if we moved it to the side a bit, it would be in full few from the front
door, which I love! Our tree base is BIG, so it just depends on if we would
have room to walk around it.
4. Clear it out
Do you ever feel overwhelmed in your home after putting up the Christmas decor? I
learned a tip years ago has really helped our home feel less cluttered
during the holidays, even when we have more decor out than usual.
Not only do we remove smaller furniture (side tables, benches, etc.) that
are in the way, but we also move our large plants (real and faux) up to the
guest room:
They get great sun in there, and then the Christmas trees aren't competing
with the real ones.
I don't remove every plant, only if it will compete with a Christmas tree in the room.
I also remove most of our big decor items from around the house, unless I
can incorporate it organically into the holiday decor.
For example, all of the decor from the mantel goes into our window seat
storage, so I can access it easily after the holidays:
This lets the Christmas touches shine, and I don't feel like our home is
overly cluttered. For me, this time of year, more is more...but I don't want
it to feel overwhelming.
I haven't started decorating just yet, but plan to pull out a few things this weekend.
Last year I was done by mid-November and it was by far the least stressful
holiday season in a long time. And yes, we host Thanksgiving!
I usually start in our basement. Thankfully we're able to store this tree
standing up and fully decorated -- it's the BEST!:
I found
these covers for standing trees, and we store it in our storage room all year. After pulling it out, all I
have to do is fluff a bit and adjust a few ornaments and garland.
It saves us SO much time -- if you are lucky enough to have the room to store your trees
upright, I highly recommend it!
When do you start decorating for the holidays? Are you an early bird or do
you wait?
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