It’s never too early to start planning for the 2023 holidays.
The holidays are a time to reflect, celebrate with loved ones, and have meaningful moments.
Whether it’s reuniting with family members or hosting a festive dinner with friends, the holidays make our days feel so much more special.
The holidays also get us excited and give us something to look forward to throughout the year.
So why not get a head start on planning for your 2023 holiday season?
In an ideal world, we’d all be super organized, with our holiday cards and gifts ready to go. We’d book our travel in advance. And we’d host our holiday events with ease. But with work commitments, personal obligations, and just the craziness of our everyday lives, our planning takes the backseat. And before you know it, the holidays sneak up on us.
Here’s why it pays to do some holiday planning up top…
- You can create a holiday budget and stick to it.
- You have enough of a time buffer to shop for meaningful and affordable holiday gifts.
- You can make sure that greeting cards are selected, mailed out, and delivered on time.
- You can book airfare and hotels before prices skyrocket.
Below is our guide to the 2023 holidays to help you stay organized and sane, and give you more time to actually enjoy the holidays.
2023 Holidays
Here are some of the major holidays and celebrations coming up in 2023.
- January 1: New Year’s Day
- January 22: Lunar New Year
- February 14: Valentine’s Day
- March 21-22: Nowruz
- April 5-13: Passover
- April 7: Good Friday
- April 8: Day of Vesak
- April 9: Easter
- April 21-22: Eid al-Fitr
- May 14: Mother’s Day
- May 29: Memorial Day
- June 18: Father’s Day
- June 19: Juneteenth
- June 28-29: Eid al-Adha
- July 4: Independence Day
- September 4: Labor Day
- September 15-17 Rosh Hashanah
- September 24-25: Yom Kippur
- October 9: Indigenous Peoples’ Day
- October 31: Halloween
- November 12: Diwali
- November 23: Thanksgiving
- November 27: Gurpurab
- December 7-15 Hanukkah
- December 24: Christmas Eve
- December 25: Christmas
- December 26 - January 1: Kwanzaa
- December 31: New Year’s Eve
How to plan for the 2023 holidays
By doing some prep work in advance, you can focus on celebrating and enjoying your time with loved ones later on. Here’s how you can plan for the 2023 holidays using your favorite organizational tools.
Your calendar is your friend
Save yourself the stress of holiday planning by making a schedule.
What are the big holidays that you and your loved ones celebrate? Add them to your digital calendar or record them in your planner.
You’ll also want to add birthdays, anniversaries, graduation dates, and other special occasions to your calendar as well.
By blocking out these dates, you’ll get a big picture view of what your year looks like. Not only will this help you get organized, but it's also a fun way to build anticipation and get excited for the upcoming holidays.
Make sure to enable digital reminders or add colorful post-its to your planner calendar. This way, you won’t miss the date and you’ll have plenty of time to get your ducks in a row.
Create a 2023 holiday budget
To avoid racking up expenses and feeling pinched during the holidays, create a budget at the beginning of the year.
You might want to include the following in your budget:
- Travel costs like airfare and train tickets.
- Hotels and accommodations.
- Gifts and cards for family members, friends, and coworkers.
- Food and beverage costs for hosting dinners and holiday parties.
- Misc. expenses like pet care or house sitting while you’re away.
A budget can help you look out for expenses before they get out of hand. Use your budget and calendar together so that you can be aware of when your costs will increase. This way, you can be more mindful of spending or look for ways to earn more money. For example, if you see that your expenses will increase in Q4, maybe you can line up extra work or new clients at the beginning of the year.
Make 2023 holiday travel plans in advance
Planning ahead is smart for holiday travel.
The winter holiday season in particular can be an intense and overwhelming period. Between rushing around buying holiday gifts and getting our work deadlines in before the end of the year, it’s no surprise that we don't get around to making travel plans until the last minute.
To avoid scrambling for last minute tickets and risk spending a fortune on airfare and accommodations, set a reminder to do your travel research and booking before the holiday rush.
If you plan on traveling for the winter holidays, it’s recommended to book your plane tickets by October 31.
Before this time, you can start doing your research and coordinating with family members.
Things you’ll want to keep in mind:
- Accommodations. Will you be staying with family/friends or booking a vacation rental? If you’re booking a vacation rental with a group, check out your options in advance. This way, you have a better chance of booking your top pick at an affordable rate.
- Work schedule. When you’re on a holiday vacation, the last thing you want to think about is the office. So coordinate your leave plans with your manager and coworkers, and designate a back up if necessary. You’ll also want to check your annual leave balance so you have enough days saved up for holiday travel.
- Pet care. Make arrangements with a trusted neighbor or service to look after your pets while you’re away. Give them plenty of notice so that you’re not left without pet care before leaving town.
Keep a running list of gift ideas
The holidays are stressful enough without having to think of a gift idea at the last minute. Save yourself the trouble by keeping a running list of gift ideas. You can keep your list in a notebook or create a google doc.
Take note of what your loved ones are talking about, especially if it’s about something they love or need. If they mention that they love a particular fragrance or bemoan that they’re in desperate need of workout clothes, write them down as a possible gift idea.
Then, when a holiday or birthday is on the horizon, you can consult your gift idea list and start shopping.
In addition to a running list of gift ideas, start stocking up on greeting cards. This way, you’ll always have a card that you can send out for a birthday, Mother’s Day, and more.
Here’s hoping that your 2023 holidays are restful, restorative, and filled with happy memories.
