My four easy ways to plan ahead for Christmas is the perfect way to join in on some Christmas in July fun! And to prepare for this magical time of year that will be here before we know it!

About five years ago, I thought Christmas in July was a crazy idea. But then the more I thought about it, the more I realized okay – planning ahead for Christmas is really not that BAD of an idea.

I mean – I do love to plan. Everything.

So why not start at least thinking about Christmas even though it is July??

And truth be told – I am not just talking about planning how to deck your halls for Christmas :).

Back in 2018, I decided taking a vacation in early December was the perfect way to get in the holiday spirit. ESPECIALLY AS AN EMPTY NESTER!

So in early December 2018, my husband and I went to London and Paris to enjoy some holiday magic together. And let me tell you – I was hooked on this new tradition of ours! A holiday getaway to anyplace colder than San Diego in December with twinkle lights everywhere PLUS cobblestone streets and Christmas markets (with wine!) has seriously become my favorite trip of the year.

You can read about my travel guide for London at Christmas time here!

And then be sure to check out my Alsace, France travel guide here. Because that destination should 100% be on a Christmas trip bucket list that you want to make ;)!

I am participating in a Christmas in July blog hop today too! If you are coming here from Kristin at White Arrows Home – hi there! You will find a little bit of everything here at Pasha is Home. But most importantly – I hope you feel welcomed and that you have a friend here in this little corner of the web ;).

There are a lot more bloggers participating in this hop – be sure to scroll down to see all their fun Christmas in July inspiration too!

Now on to the planning…

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In a rush?

Photo courtesy of Linen and Flax Instagram account

Make a Christmas Folder on Instagram

To be perfectly honest, I am assuming you actually HAVE a Christmas folder on Instagram AND Pinterest by now.

But in the off chance you do not- go make one now! This is where I get ALL of my inspiration for the holidays.

And it is also what gets me super excited right about now for the upcoming fall and holiday seasons!!

Our kitchen looks A LOT different than it did last Christmas which means I will be changing my kitchen decor this year.

The above photo is of my Christmas kitchen last year.

And this is my new kitchen below!

So I clearly need to plan ahead for Christmas this year for my kitchen. At least for that new set of open shelves and above the new bifold window…

Here are a few of my inspiration photos from Instagram for these new spaces:

As you are probably aware – the quantity of talented and inspirational bloggers on Instagram (and Pinterest) is practically unlimited. You are sure to find something that speaks to you on either platform.

But trust me when I say – if you don’t save your inspo photos to a folder on Instagram, you very likely will have an IMPOSSIBLE time finding it again!

So save those posts to folders!!

Make a Christmas Board on Pinterest

Along the same lines of having a Christmas folder on Instagram – you absolutely must have a Pinterest board for every holiday! But mostly Thanksgiving and Christmas ;).

I hope you are following my Pinterest page because besides pinning my own Christmas blog posts for you to easily find, I also save anything that catches my eye on that app.

Here are just a few of the inspo photos I have found on Pinterest that are helping me decide what to do in the above mentioned spaces in my new kitchen:

As you can probably tell – I am fixated on garlands, orange slices, and bows.

The wheels are already spinning in my head as to what kind of garland will look good now that my kitchen window is more than double the size that it used to be.

Thus the more inspo photos I can find right now – the better!

So I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have that Pinterest board now!

AND START LOOKING AT IT! Because if we learned anything the last two years – it is that shipping is taking FOREVER.

And don’t even get me started on the supply chain issues…

Look for Christmas in July Deals

This one is definitely quite a bit trickier than just making boards and folders on an app.

Most websites do not have their specifically Christmas decor available quite yet.

However, artificial Christmas trees are ALWAYS on sale in July! So if you are looking to invest in a new tree – now is the time to do it!

My favorite trees are from Balsam Hill (not an affiliate – just love the quality of their trees!). And most of their trees are up to 50% off right now. We got our 12 foot living room tree at this time last year for a lot cheaper than if we would have waited until November…

A favorite garland of mine is also on sale RIGHT NOW! I will be sharing my Christmas favorites on my Instagram stories over the next few months – so be sure to keep your eye on those ;).

Plan your Christmas Getaway NOW

I mean – this probably goes without saying that I have started planning my Christmas getaway already 🤪.

And if you are thinking of doing one too – now is the time to start researching and making those reservations.

My husband’s work situation is keeping him home this holiday season but lucky for me – my two daughters were more than willing to take his place for this annual tradition of mine ;). We will be exploring parts of the UK for our holiday adventure ;).

I have already got our itinerary planned out. Truth be told, this trip was supposed to be taken in fall 2020. And we all know why that didn’t happen.

But it is finally happening and I couldn’t be more excited! Plus I put so much time and energy into planning the itinerary back in 2020 so it is nice that my efforts did not go to waste 😂.

Be sure to go to my Christmas travel page if you are looking for ideas on where you can take a magical holiday adventure of your own!

I hope my four easy ways to plan ahead for Christmas were at the very least inspiring to you in getting ready to be in the Christmas mindset again! It sure feels like this year is FLYING so I know this beloved magical season is right around the corner.

I honestly cannot wait to see what the new holiday decor arrivals are in the stores this year. However, besides my kitchen window and new open shelves, I do not expect to be changing much else in my home as far as holiday decor goes.

Most of my favorites from years past are pretty timeless so I am hoping to be able to once again link to many of them for all of you once they start appearing on the websites ;).

Don’t forget about the Christmas in July blog hop I have joined today – especially my good friend Jen from Tater Tots and Jello. She always has such fun and inspiring suggestions for any time of year but most especially these fun holiday craft ideas!!

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Be sure to check out my ‘Home Tour’ pages!

Did you find this post useful? Pin it to your boards – just click the Pin button in the upper right corner!

Oh Christmas isn’t just a day,

It’s a frame of mind.

~ Miracle on 34th Street

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Have a wonderful day my friend! I hope something makes you smile today ;).