One Holiday Prep Task You Can’t Afford to Put Off ‘Til December

For 10 days at the end of October, Apartment Therapy wants to help you get ahead on the holidays. Together, we’re checking off doable daily tasks to get one step closer to the effortless holiday season you deserve. Sign up now (it’s free!) so you don’t miss a thing.

Culture has a way of evolving a vocabulary to embrace and explain humanity’s common eccentricities. But whether we call it emotional labor, adulting, or GSD (getting sh*t done), the struggle is the same: Sometimes, it can be a challenge to stay on top of menial everyday life stuff.

When you’re neglecting basic tasks—whether it’s due to a mental illness like depression or just because you’re happy focusing on other stuff right now—there’s a common bit of advice that echoes among the therapists and the think pieces: Start small. I hope you’re not struggling right now (Solidarity if you are! In the interest of disclosure and de-stigmatization, I suffer from depression myself.), but I thought we could take that mantra—start small—and use it to tackle a holiday prep task today.

Something that’s easily forgotten until it feels like it’s too late.

Book an appointment or service you need for the holidays.

Think about that thing you always put off or forget until late in the season, when all the good appointment times are taken or—gasp!—your favorite provider is all booked up through New Year’s Day. Today, call them up or fire up the app and make the appointment.

If nothing immediately comes to mind, here are some services that might jog your memory. If you read something and your gut screams out, “oh RIGHT,” that might be the task for you today.

• haircuts or color
• eyebrow grooming
• manicures and pedicures
• spray tan
• facial and spa services
• house cleaning
• lawn care or landscaping
• house sitting
• babysitting
• pet sitting or walking
• pet grooming
• pet boarding
• professional photography or pictures with Santa
• calligraphy or other holiday card services
• professional gift wrapping
• delivery of a Christmas tree, wreaths, floral arrangements, or other decorations
• ordered-in menu items (the turkey! the ham! baked goods!)
• catering or bartending for holiday parties
• restaurant reservations
• flights
• rental car
• airport transportation
• hotels and other lodging
• renting an outfit or dress for parties and events
• any personal care you want to book before insurance deductibles reset

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully it’s enough to get you started with booking one thing today. (And feel free to bookmark this for later if you want to knock out a whole bunch in one go.)

• Sign up for email updates to stay in the loop
• Check out all the assignments on the Holiday Jumpstart main page
• Download and print the Holiday Jumpstart checklist