Don’t Let the Grinch Take Over This Christmas

By: Mariana Navarrete Arteaga

Christmas is a joyous month, but can also be a chaotic one. Not being able to find the right gifts, going over your budget, or burning the chicken. Here is a short Christmas checklist that will avoid the fiasco.

Before the frenzy of Christmas time descends, work out how much you're able and prepared to spend on Christmas decorations, gifts, and of course food. The amount will depend on how much you've already saved, how much you can set apart from current savings, and how much you can spend on Christmas shopping. This is why budget is first on our list.
 
    1. Set Out a Budget for Gifts.

“Sometimes I go over my budget. I set out a certain amount I want to spend but things are getting expensive and I usually go over my budget,” said Alex Garcia, a Christmas aficionado for 16 years.  
    “I always have a limit because i’m very exact with my money,” said Veronica Arteaga, who’s also a Christmas enthusiast.
    People almost always have family members that don’t live close to them so it’s difficult to see them. Most go visit them but others don’t have that choice. Christmas is a time when people bestow presents to each other but if you're one of the few that can’t give your distant family members a gift, mailing is always an option. The deadline for priority mail express international is December 10, but that service costs more. This makes this awful problem second on our list.
  
     2. Make sure out-of-town presents are mailed.

“We usually don’t know where we're going to spend christmas because sometimes we host the party but sometimes we end up going to Arizona or things like that,” said Jordy Najera, a student at Samueli Academy that celebrates Christmas “Probably my biggest struggle is buying stuff and then having to take them to places that we're going to.”
Finally, on this type of holiday, everyone wants to get their house all tidied up and looking scrupulous, for when guest come. It is also where everyone gets to decorate as much as they wish. But at times people get so caught up with shopping they forget to clean the house or decorate. The last problem on our checklist.

     3. Deep Clean Your House and Decorate!

By the first week of December, it’s time to get the house looking festive. Find holiday decorating ideas online or any social media.You’ll enjoy those decorations even more if the floors are clean and the kitchen is organized. If you’d like, clear out your refrigerator and dispose any unwanted food to have space for Christmas leftovers.
“I struggled in decorating the house for everyone and making sure it’s clean and nice when people come over and making sure to pick out the right tree and making the food,” said Celeste Duran, a student at Samueli Academy that celebrates Christmas.

Happy Holidays and keep your decorating on.