Category: Budget

How Many Days Until Christmas

This post contains affiliate links

Are You On The Christmas Countdown?

Once it comes to the end of August each year, some people starting counting how many weeks or even how many days till Christmas. Of course, 2020 is going to be very different for many people: no Office Parties and kids may have started thinking about what they might like for Christmas, but in many households, Christmas expenditure will have to be cut back severely!

If your household is still able to celebrate and you need to know how many days until Christmas, you can see that on the Xmas clock in the top right hand corner of this page.

https://www.merrychristmascountdown.com

Preparing Ahead

If you like a big Christmas each year, you may have already started preparing as soon as the previous Christmas is over: recording what went well and what needs to be improved and starting to store decorations and the tree away ready for next year.

If you cook your special Christmas meal only once each year, it’s important to note down the cooking times and temperatures, the ingredients and any special items you include. It’s so easy to forget to buy that special ingredient or the particular temperature or cooking time needed for your turkey or special recipes but you usually remember them at the time you need them, so write them down then in your journal.

Getting Ready

Have you made a list of all the things you need to do? The cards to send, presents to buy and wrap, guests to prepare for? You can get a download list of things to remember and budget for here.

Secret Santa

Many work places hold a Secret Santa event each Christmas, where each worker draws another person’s name from a hat and buys them a present within a given budget. No one knows who buys which present for which person. Some families, especially large ones, make use of Secret Santa each year to cut down on overall expenditure and allow each person to receive one bigger gift rather than many smaller gifts.

 

Saving For Christmas

How Much Do You Need For Christmas

https://www.merrychristmascountdown.com/

A Difficult Year

This year, 2020, has been a hard year for almost everyone in the world. People have lost their jobs and homes and many people have suffered from lockdown, mental illness, loneliness, lack of medical care for other illnesses, like stroke, heart attack and cancer.

For those who celebrate Christmas, there are plans to make it the best one ever, to forget about a miserable 2020, with no social gatherings or meetings and to really blow out on Christmas.

Whether you are planning a blow out Christmas, a usual Christmas or even just a quiet time at home, it always takes money.

Savings

Have you started saving for Christmas? Maybe you have enough money for all you need each year? If not, then you could save $100 by Christmas by starting right NOW and putting $1 a day into a jar. Today is September 17th 2020 and there are now 100 days left to Christmas 2020, so just $1 a day would get you $100 by Christmas. Of course, if you gave up a coffee a day you could save $300 by Christmas. Would that help with the expenses? It could certainly buy you a turkey or other Christmas dinner, some festive cheer and even some presents.

Starting Later

Of course, you may be reading this later, if so, start saving now. Put your spare change in a jar, give up buying a coffee or a bun or buy a cheaper lunch. You can still save something and every little bit helps towards the expenses.

Twelve Crafts Of Christmas

This page contains Affiliate Links

Find Christmas Crafts you can do with the kids here. We have searched out some of the best sites for Christmas crafts so you don’t have to.

Santa Hand Print Craft

Makes a unique Christmas card, or decoration. This uses card, glue, cotton wool balls, paint and felt. Of course, you can use other items if you don’t have some of these.www.merrychristmascountdown.com

Paper Plate Santa

Make Santa’s face with a paper plate, cotton wool, paint, glue and a pom pom.www.merrychristmascountdown.com

Christmas Wreath

This is a more advanced craft, using a wreath form, hot glue, various ornaments, greenery and wire (you will need snippers).

Bead And Paint Tree Card

Create a card with a tree and decorations. This uses seed beads and a needle and thread, so suitable only for older children or adults. You will need card, glue and paint also.

Bake Peppermint Topped Cupcakes

This uses your favorite cupcake mix. Use snowflake baking cups and make icing and top with peppermint crunch.

Snow Globe Cookie Jar

A craft for giving. Adds snowball cookies to a jar that you decorate with snow flakes or white dots. Add some plastic Christmas themed trinkets and tie the jar with a ribbon, for a great gift.

Sparkling Christmas Star

For older children or adults. Uses tooth picks stuck into a foam sphere then spray painted silver and a hanging string hot-glued on

Beaded Christmas Tree

Make your own Christmas tree for small spaces to hang on the wall, using beads, twine and dowel rod. For adults and older children.

Hanging Advent Calendar

Hang little boxes and shapes at different heights from a willow branch hung on your wall, for a cute wall decoration as well as an advent calendar.

Mud Cloth Ornaments

Little ornaments in black, written or painted on in white. Can be used as Christmas Tree Ornaments or gift labels.

Tinsel Star Wreath

Can’t get much easier than this. A star frame, a length of tinsel and some mini pegs to hang photos or make some ornaments or Christmas shapes to hang on it.

Surprise Christmas Ball Ornaments

Another advent calendar idea or easy to make presents to give away. All you need are fillable Christmas balls, crepe paper to wrap and some decorations to make cute faces. This post gives templates for those.