For some people, the holiday season doesn’t begin until Thanksgiving—or maybe not until December. But for me, Christmas in July is the unofficial starting line. I ease into it slowly during September, but once October arrives, the festive fun begins!

This month feels like the perfect bridge between fall and the holidays. I start by bringing out my Halloween décor, then gradually layer in the seasonal touches that carry me straight through December. It’s also when I dig deeper into my crafting projects—personalized cards, handmade gifts, and little things that make the season feel extra special.

Another big October task? Stocking up. Wrapping supplies, baking ingredients, and pantry staples all get a refresh. I’ve learned that decluttering my pantry and replacing spices now saves so much time (and stress!) later when the holiday baking whirlwind hits. And yes, I’ll be adding another batch of make-ahead cookies to the freezer this month—I like to have plenty ready to go.

Get Ahead on Holiday Travel

If you’re planning to travel, October is the sweet spot for booking. Nathan and I have a tradition of sneaking away for a holiday-themed weekend each December. We’ve spent magical weekends at Walt Disney World, a trip to New York City doing all the iconic Christmas activities, and last year St. Augustine FL for the Night of Lights festivities.

This year, we’re heading to Ashville, NC to experience the Biltmore at Christmas and check out all the holiday offerings of the town. I am very excited to experience Candlelight Christmas in the house and beautiful lights on the grounds. I will be sharing that experience with all of you then!

Finalize Your Christmas Card List

Back in August, I shared how I use a spreadsheet to plan my Christmas cards—keeping track of who I send to and who I receive from. Now that October is here, it’s time to firm up that list. Double-check addresses, fill in the missing ones, and get everything updated before the rush. It’s so much easier to do it now than to scramble later when you’re ready to mail your cards.

By tackling a little at a time—decorating, baking, organizing, planning, and list-making—October becomes the perfect launch pad for the most joyful season of the year.

I can not believe it is September already! Time is going too fast! How are you doing with your preparations? Are you already falling behind? Or are you ready for the next steps? Honestly, I am a little behind. But the good news with the checklists for July – October is its okay to shift things around and not worry about being behind as we still have plenty of time to do everything we want to do!

In September we start on our crafts and check off some tasks early. I like to use September to start to declutter the house to get ready for all the holiday decorating. It is not just Christmas we are preparing for but Halloween and Thanksgiving too. If you declutter and organize now, it will make decorating that much easier next month.

Christmas Cards

If you haven’t started yet. Now is the time. If you finished your Christmas Card List last month then you know how many you need to make. I recommend adding 10% for those you might have missed or those who might enter your life between now and Christmas.

I will continue posting my card ideas all the way through November, but I hope you have some plans already. My Stamp-A-Stack classes have already started on their Christmas cards!

Gift Shopping

I know we have already been tracking our ideas but keep on it. This is the biggest area I always struggle with and the more I pay attention to people and what is going on with them, the better my gifts.

Even though my lists say gift shopping, I really don’t start buying until November. I just collect what I want to buy, my ideas. I will pick up gifts on travels or if something is unique and don’t want to miss out. I bought several gifts when we went to Japan and I will be traveling to Washington D.C. soon and that will be another great opportunity.

Now is also the time to see what wrapping materials you have left over from last year. Before I started doing this, it would never fail that I would be in a store with the Christmas stuff that came out early and see a deal on wrapping paper or bags. I would buy them because I thought they were cute just to get home and discover I had 4 rolls of paper that I bought because they were cute in after Christmas sales and forgot. It is always good to have your actual needs on a list for when you do see that must have item. This will keep you buying what you need and not what you don’t need.

Plan Baking

I know we have already started working on our Make Ahead cookies, but here I am talking about everything else. We make 5 to 6 different types of cookies each year. We often change up one or two and I already shared my test drive to two different cookies for this year.

I will share with you which Cookies we are making this year. Starting with the returning favorites. I have shared these before but they are definitely worth mentioning again!

• Gingerbread Cookies – One of my Make Ahead cookies that I hope to accomplish this month – https://christmascheercentral.com/2024/08/13/make-ahead-christmas-cookies/
• Cutout Sugar Cookies – These are already stored safely in the freezer to be frosted in December. I use Our Best Bites for this recipe too – https://ourbestbites.com/sugar-cookies/ and I use the glace icing of theirs too. It sets up firmly and still tastes amazing!
• Cake-Like Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies – These are a crowd favorite. They are more cake like than cookie, but they bring all the best flavors together. https://ourbestbites.com/cake-like-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies/
• Christmas Kiss Cookies – We usually have a type of kiss cookie. For many years it was the traditional peanut butter kiss cookie, but we started to mix it up. This one is fun; however, uses a LOT of sprinkles! https://www.sprinklebakes.com/2019/12/christmas-kiss-cookies.html

Cookies that will be new this year, yep both the test drive cookies are on the list!

• Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies – I will be able to make these ahead and they are melt in your mouth delicious! https://www.momontimeout.com/cranberry-orange-shortbread-cookies-recipe/
• Gingerbread Latte Cookies – These can also be made ahead. The fresh ginger gives them a little heat on the back end that gives the effect of drinking a hot beverage. And these you Definitely don’t want to eat before bed with the espresso that’s involved! https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023677-gingerbread-latte-cookies

Cookies are not the only baking you should be planning. What baking, if any, are you doing for Halloween? Thanksgiving? Christmas Dinner? If you plan this now, you can see if there is anything that you can do in advance.