Only a few more weeks left before the biggest holiday season of the year is here. Are you ready? Well, if you are not, don't despair because you are not alone. It is unbelievable how many people wait until the last minute to prepare for the holidays both when it comes to the decorating and their shopping.

Unfortunately doing it this way only creates stress and frustration; also it does not help much as far as the Christmas spirit is concerned either. How could one possibly get into the spirit when they are all stressed out? Another thing that normally will happen if you do everything at the last minute is that you end up spending much more money than you would if you actually took your time in planning what to do.

Imagine how enjoyable it could be both for yourself and your family if you just put some time and effort into planning how you will prepare for Christmas. The memories created by getting your whole family involved in the Christmas preparations are priceless. Can't you just see all of you together around the table, telling stories and making your own homemade decorations? It is something none of you will forget and it is actually quite relaxing too.

Why not bring your entire family to the store so that all of you can pick out what you need to make both the inside and outside decorations. Yes the outside is important too, and even though it might be cold putting up your lights and your reindeer can be a blast.

While you are at it out there, why not take the time to make a big snowman with your kids? You can even decorate him!

Nothing could be nicer than going back inside after spending a few hours outside and have a hot chocolate together before the kids start getting ready for bed. Instead of watching TV before they go to bed, a Christmas movie for the whole family would be a great idea. Either that or reading one of the many classic Christmas stories.

Either way, getting away from the norm where everybody does their own thing and starting to do something together might be just what you need to get into the spirit of Christmas. If you by chance are one of those who do everything at the last minute and don't know how to plan for different occasions don't worry there are actually books and different material out there that will help and teach you how to plan for different occasions.

Let this holiday be different and start planning early, you will find that the whole experience will be good and bring your family closer together. Not to mention what it will do for your peace of mind and your pocket book. That is the whole idea of Christmas: peace, joy and happiness.

Best holiday wishes to you all.