Gift giving stresses me out big time. I spend way too much time running around and deciding what to get people, feeling like my mind is a blank slate. I am awful at it. Small gifts is not my love language.

Occasionally I have pockets of inspiration, and I feel like queen of the world when I discover (or make!) a great gift that someone appreciates. Reading Marie Segares’ post last year on 7 Tips for Getting a Head Start on Holiday Crafting and DIY Gifts seriously helped me reframe how I view gift giving and holiday crafting. I highly recommend giving it a read!

Peering at this list and coming up with a few ideas of my own, I give you this year’s edition of:

3 Ways to Get Ahead on Holiday Crafting

1. Start Immediately

One of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is to Be Proactive, and that applies to Christmas crafting. We have a matter of weeks before the holiday is upon us, and if handmade projects like knit and crochet patterns take 1-2 weeks to complete, well, you can do the math! Starting now allows time to pick your projects, take breaks, make mistakes, fix them, and finish your presents.

2. Plan

Marie Segares talks about deciding who will get handmade gifts, and then planning what to make for them. Getting organized and writing out a plan (or pinning the projects you’d like to make, or crafting your plan in any manner of your choosing) will help you visually see how much time you have and how much crafting there is in store! My norm is to sit down and make as many scarves as possible (like my absolute favorite infinity scarf pattern by Fiber Flux, linked on AllFreeCrochet) and choose recipients after I finish the scarves. This is not the best method. It is, in fact, a terrible method. Be intentional with your gift giving and plan out your gifts and your recipients!

3. Have a Backup Plan

Maybe that crocheted afghan you wanted to give your best friend isn’t going to happen in time. Maybe you can’t knit 16 pairs of slippers before December 25. That’s okay! Be gentle with yourself, and consider an alternative like free printables for making wall art, quick knit or crochet projects, and any of the ideas below! If all else fails, a store bought item or gift card never hurts.