I am still taking small but consistent bites of what needs to be done. I have decided that I am simply not going to hurtle madly towards the end of the year and get mixed up in the pre-Christmas rush. I have no need to so I simply won’t.
That is not to say that I am avoiding Christmas. I will do what suits me and my family in a manner and time frame of my own choosing. There are 5 full weekends before Christmas. We have social engagements to attend on the next 3 weekends – 2 are family birthdays and the other is a casual Christmas gathering for the residents of our street.
I have planned (and in some cases bought) Christmas gifts for our daughters and granddaughters and have ideas in place for other family members. I have begun planning our menu for Christmas Day. I need to write a Christmas letter to send to friends and relatives. Most of these are emailed so only a few cards to be bought.
We have a Christmas tree which we will put up in mid-December. I do not have a particular theme – the Christmas decorating is low-key and the same each year.
Christmas is an opportunity to spend time with those closest to us not an excuse to buy more stuff, create more debt, eat too much and generally stress ourselves unnecessarily.
organised castle 
I absolutely agree! We are working really hard this year not to spend too much or receive too much either.
Love it. Your approach to Christmas sounds very much like mine. I want to enjoy it, not endure it, which means setting some boundaries and having a plan. More thoughts here https://moretimethanmoney.co.nz/2016/11/17/my-must-haves-this-christmas/
Hear, hear! My approach to enjoying Christmas includes celebrating Advent. I love doing the decorating and cooking, but I don’t worry about how much gets done when. If we expect people to visit, I make more effort. If we don’t plan to be around, we only do enough to lift spirits while we ARE home and to disguise the empty house when we’re away. (Generally, this means setting the timer on the discreet lights that get left up (but not turned on) year round.) Gifts are always small tokens of affection, homemade when possible.