Getting Organised For Christmas

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Now this may seem a little premature for some of you, in fact it probably is for a lot of people but I absolutely love Christmas and nearly always OD on it. I start thinking about Christmas presents for people in September. Maybe that's a tad OTT for some but that's just me, I love all thing's festive. 

I always think that the sooner you start to get your ideas together the less stressful Christmas will actually be. I don't know about you but I absolutely HATE the shops in December so I like to be as prepared as possible and to be honest, I do a lot online now too. However, that isn't to say that I don't love a good wander around the Christmas Markets in Manchester! 

To start my preparation I always start by getting a pretty notepad and listing everyone I'll be buying for. This year I'll be on a super strict budget so I'll be trying to be as thrifty as possible. I'm planning on make quite a few gifts for family members like some preserves, chuntneys and spice mixes. There are lots of wonderful ideas in Nigella Christmas and I'm sure if you Google home made Christmas gifts you are bound to find lots more inspiration. 

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Christmas Sangria - www.hgtv.com

I like to organise my diary as well. You say yes to so many Christmas gatherings that it's hard to keep up so make sure you keep a diary so you don't double book yourself! I'm particularly looking forward to an evening with my best friends at the legendary Bar Wizards which is in a village nearby to us. Before we go I'm hoping to have everyone over at my house for a couple of hours to get ready and have some festive treats. I'm thinking of making this Christmas Sangria (how GOOD does that look?) and these adorable Santa Strawberries as well as some other goodies! 

My absolute favourite part of Christmas however is, without a doubt, decorating the house. I HAVE to do it and no one else can do it without me being there. I love retro, cute decorations and lots and lots and lots of natural greenery about. I'm planning on getting some mistletoe from the greengrocer this year as we haven't had it in our house for years! I'm also thinking of making a few of my own Christmas decorations this year too. Whether I get round to it or not is another question!

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So how do you prepare for Christmas? Do you have any handy hint or tips? Let myself and others know by leaving a comment below. I'd love to hear your thoughts!