Ultimate 2025 Christmas to do list - keep organised & on budget!

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I created my ultimate Christmas to do list because being organised and planning ahead is definitely the best way to stay on top of your finances, and keep on budget, over the festive season. Starting your Christmas prep early is a great way to avoid impulse shopping or rash decisions – and getting ahead of the game will reduce stress too, so that you can actually enjoy the holiday. Presents are just a small part of it – planning your events, days out, travel and activities with the kids in advance will help you to know how much budget you’ll need to allocate to each thing (or whether you need to cut back / make some changes) and ensure that everything goes smoothly. So, let’s have some frugal, festive fun, and get ready for Christmas 2025 – here’s a complete Christmas to do list:

September:

1. The first thing on the Christmas to do list is to look ahead and book time off from work if it’s not guaranteed. This year, for 2025, Christmas Day falls on a Thursday which is brilliant – it’s always handy to have the weekend before for last minute prep. Plus, with the Boxing Day bank holiday on the Friday, that means four days off without using up lots of annual leave!

2. Go on a woodland walk and start collecting pine cones. Pine cones are perfect for free Christmas crafting and can be used to make wreaths, table decorations, tree ornaments and even for kids’ craft too – they make brilliant mini Christmas trees when sprayed green. Amazon sell inexpensive wreath frames if you want a simple base to work with.

3. Make and list of activities and events that you’d like to do over the Christmas period – things like craft classes, pantomimes, light trails, New Year’s Eve parties or Christmas market trips. It might seem early, but getting them booked and organised in September will ensure that tickets are available – and you’ll be able to make the most of early-bird discounts too. If you’ll be staying with family, make your travel plans now as well. Check out this article if you’d like some festive getaway ideas: The 20 best UK holiday parks for Christmas breaks with kids.

4. If you need to cut back this year, or simply want to, now’s the time to share your feelings with your loved ones. This means that everyone will be on the same page, and there won’t be any embarrassment – it’ll help you feel more in control too. (And I always think spending time together or doing something fun is better than having lots of ‘stuff’ anyway!) My mother-in-law suggested a £5 charity shop challenge last year for the adults, so we could enjoy a day out together instead of having lots of gifts – Lola and I loved the challenge, and since none of us really needed anything it was a great way to make gifting more thoughtful and less extravagant.

October:

1. Read my article for money-saving tips: Christmas without money: 30 tips for a DIY budget family Christmas to get ahead of the game, and make this Christmas affordable, manageable and as stress free as possible. You really don’t need to spend a fortune to make brilliant memories with the kids.

2. Start to book in / plan your calendar of Christmas get-togethers – make a list of the people you’ll want to see and any subsequent festive days out, hosting costs or meals out. You’ll be able to work out what you’ll need money for, and have a few months to put some by, or make cutbacks in other areas.

3. If you want a fresh hair cut, or clean windows etc, just before the big day – make sure you schedule in appointments early too, before they get fully-booked.

4. One of the most important parts of the to do list is to set your budget for Christmas 2025 – making sure that you’ve thought about food, gifts, decorations, entertaining and activities. Use my free, printable Christmas Budget Planner to get started. You might want to try ‘cash stuffing’ too – using cash is a great way to make sure that you can’t go over budget.

5. Ask those you’re buying for what they’d like for Christmas (or start to ask sneaky questions to find out!) and begin to write down gift ideas, making sure that you come back to your budget. If you’re planning to donate a gift to children’s Christmas charity appeal then now’s a great time to plan that too – as they often have a cut off date a few weeks before Christmas – check out my article for more info: Where to donate (or receive) children’s charity Christmas gifts in the UK.

6. Start looking for early gifts – perhaps in the sales, or with voucher codes online – often there are toy sales around October time, and beginning now will help you to spread the cost. If you’re buying any second-hand gifts, you’ll have enough time to browse the charity shops or keep an eye on Facebook Marketplace, Vinted or Ebay for exactly what you’re after in great condition. I got my kids lego sets this year on Vinted – boxed and like new – each a quarter of their original price.

November:

1. If you’re hosting, start planning your Christmas dinner – list everything that you’ll need and make sure that everyone knows if they’ll need to do or bring anything. If you like online shopping, book your grocery delivery slot as early as it becomes available to avoid limited availability nearer the time. Keep any shopping reward points to use in December, start to put reduced items in the freezer and make the most of offers on non-perishables.

2. Prep the kids a December Box full of activities to keep them busy! My December Box article has lots of ideas and free printables to get you started – and they’ll have bits and bobs to keep them entertained for the whole of December.

3. If you’re buying or making an advent calendar for the kids, get prepping now to make sure that everything is ready for December 1st. Start to think about gift wrap, sellotape, gift boxes etc too – while there’s still plenty in the shops to choose from.

4. Though I try to hold off on putting the tree up until the 1st of December, mid-November is a great time to start crafting and putting up some sneaky decorations. We absolutely love doing the paint-your-own decorations – and I love how our Christmas tree is full of personalised decorations that the kids have created each year. There are some free printable kids’ activities like colour-in paper chains and Christmas bunting on the blog too.

5. If you’re making a Christmas fruit cake then it’s time to get your bake on – fruit cakes are better made a few weeks before so you can ‘feed’ them brandy. It’s also one less thing to do nearer the time, and mini-versions make the perfect gifts for DIY hampers too!

6. The end of November is a great time get the kids to do their Christmas lists for Santa. This gives you, family and friends and the North Pole plenty of time to get a few treats organised for Christmas morning. I’ve got lots of cute letter to Santa templates that you can print off for free.

Early December:

1. Hurray December is here! Print off my budget-friendly Activity Advent Calendar (the most fun Christmas to do list!) and start having lots of festive family time. Wander the streets to see the Christmas lights, enjoy some festive days out and snuggle up watching Christmas movies at every opportunity – bliss!

2. It’s finally time to put the Christmas tree up (if you haven’t given in to the kids already – I have to admit that Lola often wants ours up in November 😂). Make the house wonderfully Christmassy, and if you fancy a freshen up of old decorations, or a new colour scheme, spray paint works wonders!

3. Start the rest of your Christmas baking. If you’ve got room in the freezer then you could start earlier in the month, and make a good stash of festive treats like mince pies or gingerbread cookies, if not leave it until a few days before so they’ll keep fresh until the big day. If you’re prepping in advance, make a list of what you’ve made already (and what you’ll need to do nearer to Christmas) to avoid overbuying.

4. Finish buying gifts, and spend some time getting everything wrapped before things get too busy. I try to get it all finished at least a week before Christmas, so I can enjoy the build up with the kids without too much stress. And, if you’ve forgotten anything (or anyone!) it’ll give you a bit of breathing time to get organised.

5. Have a look in your local area to see what activities are on offer – carol services, Christmas fairs and markets and other festive activities are a great way to get everyone in a Chrismassy mood and support local businesses too.

6. Stock up on the practical things, like: batteries for children’s toys, tin foil / trays for Christmas dinner, extra loo rolls etc. These are the boring bits but they’ll make the festive period run a lot more smoothly!

Mid-Late December:

1. If you’re posting Christmas cards, or have Christmas presents to send, make sure you get them in the post in time. You can check the cut-off dates for different posting options on the Royal Mail website.

2. Decorate the outside of the house with sparkly lights, or get the kids to craft some snowflakes and window decorations to hang up to make everything look cheerful.

3. Get as much of the Christmas food shopping as you can a week beforehand, just in case you can’t get everything need from the same shop. Make a list of the fresh bits that you’ll need to buy just before the big day, and take advantage of the UK supermarket Christmas veg wars for the cheapest veg that you’ll see all year – buy extra to do some meal prepping too. (I always make some casseroles and soups for the freezer as well!)

4. Make food for Santa’s reindeer ready for Christmas eve, and print off / organise any games and quizzes you’ll want over the festive period, and for New Year’s celebrations too. My printable adults vs kids Christmas trivia quiz is always a big hit – and DIY escape rooms are brilliant fun too!

5. Try to make the Christmas holidays as stress-free as possible by making a list and reminding people of what they need to do / cook / buy / bring, so that everyone knows what they’re responsible for. Clean the house a few days before so that you can forget about it and just do the bare minimum over the Christmas period. Prep food on Christmas Eve (or earlier and freeze) to save time on Christmas morning, or cheat (like I often do!) and use frozen veg – it’s cheaper and pre-chopped!

6. Get the kids to help you lay the table on Christmas Eve before they go to bed – my two love making place names and laying out the crackers and festive napkins. It’s super exciting, and it’ll be one less thing to do in the morning before guests arrive. And, don’t forget to put out a snack for Santa too.