Use the countdown

A week-by-week Christmas planner

Updated 3 November 2026 · 5 min read

December fills up quickly. Most of the stress comes from leaving everything to the last fortnight, when shops are busiest and deliveries are slowest. This plan spreads the jobs across eight weeks so Christmas week is for actually enjoying it.

Use the countdown to see which week you're in. If you're starting late, don't worry: begin at your week and fold the earlier jobs in.

8 weeks to go: decide and budget

• Decide where you'll spend Christmas and who's hosting.
• Set a total budget, then split it: gifts, food, travel, decorations, going out.
• Write the gift list with a rough amount per person. Agreeing a limit, or a Secret Santa, with big families saves a lot of money.
• Check the calendar for school plays, work parties and visits, and note them down now.

6 weeks to go: book things that sell out

• Book trains, flights or hire cars. Prices tend to rise the closer you get.
• Book restaurants for any Christmas meals out, and childcare if you need it.
• If you're ordering a turkey or a special joint from a butcher, place the order.
• Start buying gifts that need personalising or come from small makers.

4 weeks to go: Advent begins

• Put up decorations. Test the lights before they go on the tree.
• Post cards and parcels going abroad. International post is the slowest and its deadlines are the earliest.
• Buy most remaining gifts, and wrapping paper, tape and labels while there's choice.
• Plan the Christmas Day menu and check you have big enough dishes and tins.

3 weeks to go: tidy up loose ends

• Write and post cards for home addresses.
• Make anything that keeps: cranberry sauce freezes well, and gingerbread dough can be frozen too.
• Check your delivery company's Christmas cut-off dates and put them in your calendar.

2 weeks to go: last orders

• Place final online orders using standard delivery.
• Book a supermarket delivery slot, if you haven't already; they go fast.
• Buy drinks, crackers and anything else that keeps.
• If you're travelling, arrange for someone to water plants or feed pets.

1 week to go: wrap and thaw

• Wrap presents in one or two sessions rather than at midnight on Christmas Eve.
• Work out when to start thawing a frozen turkey. In the fridge it takes about a day for every 2 kg (4 to 5 lb), so a large bird needs several days.
• Clear space in the fridge and freezer.
• Write a simple timetable for Christmas Day cooking, working back from when you want to eat.

Christmas Eve

• Pick up fresh food. Prepare vegetables and keep them covered in the fridge.
• Set the table tonight, so tomorrow there's one less job.
• Then stop. Put a film on, open the countdown and watch it reach zero.

A few rules that help

Write things down. One shared list, on paper or a phone, beats remembering.

Say yes to help. If someone offers to bring dessert or drinks, let them.

Leave gaps. Don't fill every evening in December. The quiet nights are often the best ones.