How I Start Planning Christmas in October

Every year I create a Google Sheet with a very creative name like: Christmas 2026.

I list everyone in our immediate family.

While my kids are still home, that's where I start. There will always be other gifts and obligations that come later, but first I want to think about the people who will actually be sitting around our tree on Christmas morning.

October is when I start paying closer attention. Instead of asking, “What do you want for Christmas?” I have normal conversations with my kids.

• What are they excited about?
• What do they keep talking about?
• Is there something they've been wanting to try?
• Is there something frustrating them that a gift could actually help with?

I like doing this in October because they don't necessarily connect every conversation with Christmas. It gives me time to understand why they want something instead of simply collecting a wish list.

My younger kids still love circling things in the Amazon Christmas catalog, which makes me nostalgic for the Toys “R” Us catalogs I used to circle as a kid. I love letting them do it — I just don't mistake everything they circle for something they actually want.

By the end of October, I'm not trying to have every stocking stuffer purchased. I want clarity on the big things.

For each person, I start to see a loose theme based on those conversations. Maybe it's photography. Sports. Building. Music. Being outside. A new independence. Something they've been trying to learn. An experience they've been talking about.

The “theme” isn't something the kids know about and it doesn't mean every gift has to match. It's just my filter: What feels like this person right now?

Then I figure out:

• the main gift
• one or two other gifts I feel strongly about
• anything likely to sell out
• anything expensive enough that I want to watch the price
• anything that needs to be ordered early

That's enough. I don't need Christmas completely purchased. I just want the things that require thought to already have some thought behind them.

My daughter wanted a digital camera even though she already has a phone with an excellent camera. Instead of assuming the camera didn't make sense, I asked why.

What I learned was that she wanted a way to take pictures that didn't feel connected to posting, scrolling or her phone. She wanted tangible memories she could eventually print and keep.

That one conversation helped shape the direction of her Christmas list. I shared it in Christmas Gifts for a 16-Year-Old Girl Who Wants Life to Feel a Little More Real.

Once I know the main gifts, I can watch prices instead of shopping because something happens to be on sale.

There are often good deals before the full holiday shopping rush. If something I already planned to buy drops to a good price, great.

The important part is that the list came before the sale — not the other way around.

The other thing I start doing around mid-October is looking at the calendar.

This is when a lot of local Christmas events start announcing their dates, opening reservations, and selling tickets. And while Christmas might still feel far away, some of those experiences fill up surprisingly fast.

I'm not trying to book every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Actually, it's the opposite.

I want to find a few things that sound like us, get them on the calendar, and leave the rest of December open.

I start by looking at our local theaters, dance companies, schools, churches, and community calendars.

Some of our favorite Christmas memories have come from doing exactly that. One year, we went to a local production of A Christmas Story and had dinner beforehand. Nothing extravagant, just a really fun night together.

Here are a few things I start looking for in October:

• Christmas performances: The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol, community theater, symphonies, school concerts, and local dance productions.
• Holiday experiences: Christmas light displays, holiday train rides, tree farms, special museum events, and seasonal markets.
• Reservations worth making early: Christmas brunches, holiday teas, special dinners, Santa experiences, and any activity with limited tickets.
• Community traditions: Nativity displays, church performances, tree-lighting ceremonies, small-town celebrations, and events featuring people we know.

You don't always need the big, expensive professional production. Some of the most memorable experiences come from local organizations, and I love that we're supporting people in our own community at the same time.

The Trick Is Booking Less, Not More

Once I find a few things we're excited about, I check dates against our family calendar and make the reservations that need to be made.

Then I stop.

I don't need four Christmas events every weekend. I don't need to fill every available Saturday just because something festive is happening.

And I definitely don't want to get to December and realize we've scheduled away every opportunity to stay home.

I want a few things to look forward to and plenty of room for everything else.

Because sometimes Christmas looks like getting dressed up for The Nutcracker.

And sometimes it looks like pajamas, hot cocoa, and nowhere to be.

I want room for both.

By the time December arrives, the decisions that usually take up so much of my mental space are mostly behind me.

I'm not scrambling to make Christmas happen or feeling like we need to squeeze something festive into every weekend.

And maybe just as importantly, I've already made time for the people and traditions that matter most to our family. It's a lot easier to say no to the things that pull us in a million different directions when we've already decided what we're saying yes to.

Because boundaries matter at Christmas, too. Not every invitation needs to become an obligation, and not every available weekend needs to be filled.

And really, that's the philosophy behind Right There, Right Here.

I plan ahead not because I need everything to go according to plan, but because I want the freedom to let go of it when the moment calls for something different.

I want to enjoy Christmas morning without thinking about everything that still needs to be done. I want to say yes to the traditions we love, no to the obligations we don't, and sometimes change our minds altogether.

Because the best part of planning ahead is getting to stop planning.

And just be right here.