How to prepare for New Year: a week-by-week checklist

For a calm New Year’s Eve rather than a last-minute dash around the shops, it pays to spread the preparations over several weeks. Here is a clear checklist of what to do a month ahead, two weeks ahead, a week ahead and the day before, how to choose a real tree and how to keep the celebration safe.

Flowers for the holidays: flower baskets and flowers in a box.

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Week-by-week checklist

• 3–4 weeks before: decide where and with whom you are celebrating, plan the menu and the gift list.
• 2 weeks before: buy or order gifts, decorate the home, choose a tree and order festive flowers.
• 1 week before: buy long-life groceries and plan the table setting and your outfit.
• 1–2 days before: fresh food, prep and the table centrepiece.

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Choosing and caring for a real tree

• A fresh tree has springy branches and needles that stay put when you run a hand along a branch.
• At home, recut the trunk and stand the tree in a water-holding stand; top up the water daily.
• Keep it away from radiators and fireplaces.
• Fir holds its needles longer than spruce; pine is fairly sturdy too.

A safe celebration

• Use fairy lights with intact insulation and never leave them on overnight or unattended.
• Keep candles away from the tree, greenery and curtains.
• If you have cats, skip the tinsel — they may swallow it.
• Keep poinsettia and holly out of pets’ reach.

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Common mistakes

• Buying everything on the last day — pricier and more stressful.
• An over-ambitious menu: fewer, well-made dishes are better.
• Forgetting gifts for people around you over the holidays — neighbours, colleagues, helpers.
• Not ordering flowers in advance — choice shrinks in the last days of December.

Ideas for the home and table: New Year flower arrangements and New Year gift ideas.

FAQ

When should I put up the tree?

A real tree usually goes up 1–2 weeks before the holiday; with good care it will last through the festivities.

How do I avoid being exhausted?

Spread tasks over the weeks, delegate some of the work and keep the last day for rest.

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Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.