{A big thank you to Basic Invite for sponsoring this post!}

We’re smack dab in the middle of the summer. The temps here in Texas have been camping out in the high 90s and we just celebrated the 4th of July last week. We’ve been visiting our neighborhood pool multiple times a week and when we’re not there our AC is our best friend.

So, with all of that being said, why am I sharing a blog post about prepping for Christmas??

Good question. 😉 I know this sounds a little crazy, but this time of year is actually the perfect time to start thinking about Christmas. Why??? Because there are lots of little things you can do to prep for Christmas now that will make your life a lot easier later on this year.

Today I thought I’d share 3 easy ways that you can start to prep for Christmas now. Don’t worry, these are super simple things and you’ll be back to enjoying your summer in no time!

3 Ways to Prep for Christmas Now

1. Plan for your Christmas cards early

Sending Christmas cards is one of those things that I love to do but I always seem to leave til the last minute. This year I’m determined to do better! Basic Invite is a great website that makes Christmas cards easy with a huge variety of beautiful cards including watercolor holiday cards, modern holiday cards and more.

Choose the type of card you want

I especially love photo cards and Basic Invite has a great selection of holiday photo cards. Their Christmas options are so unique and fun!

A few of the things I like about all of Basic Invite’s cards:

• Almost unlimited color options – this is something that really sets them apart from other companies!
• Custom samples – you have the option of ordering a printed sample of your card before placing your final order
• Over 40 colors of envelopes (and they’re all peel and seal!)

Book a photographer (if needed)

If you’re planning to send out photo cards, you’ll want to be sure to book a photographer soon for family pictures. Family photographers tend to be quite busy in the fall so it’s always best to book your session as soon as you can.

Start gathering addresses

You know what’s one of the biggest pains of sending out Christmas cards? Figuring out what everyone’s address is!

Good news though – Basic Invite makes things easy with an address capturing service that allows you to simply share a link on social media to request your friend’s and family’s addresses! The addresses are stored in the customer’s account and can then be selected during the design process. So convenient! And Basic Invite also offers recipient address printing at no cost on all card orders!

Psst! Right now Basic Invite is offering 15% off any type of card or invitation with coupon code: 15FF51 

2. Decide who you’ll be buying for

Jot down a quick list of who you think you’ll be buying for this Christmas. I like to make this list in the note app on my phone. If you already have some gift ideas go ahead and jot those down as well. It may seem premature to do this but the list will come in handy when you’re out shopping and come across some good deals.

3. Take advantage of summer sales

Christmas shopping is probably not at the top of your priorities right now, but taking advantage of summer sales can save you money and help you knock some gifts off your list early!

Garage sales

Summer is the time of year for garage sales! Depending on what you’re looking for you can often score some really great deals on some fantastic gifts to save away for Christmas.

Prime Day

In case you don’t already know about Prime day, it’s a day (or two) of sales that Amazon has once a year. The dates for this year’s sales are July 15-16th. There are often great deals on some of Amazon’s own products (like the Echo Dot for instance) as well as toys and various electronics. It’s definitely worth checking out if you have Prime (and if you don’t it would be the perfect time to sign up for a free trial!)

Back-to-school sales

Take advantage of back-to-school sales to buy craft supplies for cheap! Things like crayons, markers, scissors, and glue sticks make great stocking stuffers come Christmas time!

Tax-free weekend

I’m not sure if this is a thing in every state, but here in Texas we have a tax free weekend every year towards the end of the summer. It’s a great time to buy clothes, backpacks, and more and is definitely a good time to do some early Christmas shopping.

So, to summarize, three ways you can prep for Christmas now are to get started on your Christmas card, make a list of who you’re buying for, and hit up some of those good summer sales!

Do you like to prep for Christmas early? What are some things that you like to get done way ahead of time? Let me know in the comments!

And don’t forget, you can use the code 15FF51 to get 15% off your order from Basic Invite.