The trick to having the perfect Christmas is planning. As we all know, Santa and his elves spend the whole year gearing up for the big day. And, whilst we don't recommend stressing over Christmas all year round, being organised can alleviate the stresses that December often brings. This is why we have scoured the internet to find the best Christmas planners.
A Christmas planner is a simple place where you can keep all of your thoughts and ideas organised in one space. This can include Christmas gifts, budgets, Christmas lunch recipes, Christmas decorations and, well, anything relating to the holidays.
Best Christmas planners at a glance:
Best overall Christmas planner: Three-Year Christmas Planner - View on Not On The Highstreet
Best Christmas planner with a traditional design: Wrendale Designs 'All I Want For Christmas' Christmas Planner - View on Amazon UK
There are lots of benefits to using a Christmas planner. One of the biggest is it allows you the time to think things through instead of recklessly whipping out your bank card. Often, people struggle with 'going overboard' at Christmas. Taking some time to plan everything you need to purchase may help you save money and, in turn, lead to a stress-free holiday.
The best Christmas planners 2023:
Best overall Christmas planner
Credit: Beaver & Mole www.notonthehighstreet.com
This luxury planner can be enjoyed for over three years, with three separate sections for each. Crafted from vegan leather, this planner promises to keep you on top of all of your Christmas planning. The simplistic design and high-end quality make this a wonderful treat in the run-up to Christmas.
Our review: "My mum gave me this beautiful Christmas planner as a Christmas present last year, and I have been patiently waiting to use it since. It came in the most exquisite box. As a stationary lover, I can safely say this is one of the best quality planners I have ever seen. The vegan-friendly leather gives it a prestige feel, and I love that you can use it for multiple years."
Pros
- Made from vegan-friendly leather
- Luxury ivory paper (120gsm)
- Comes in a gift box
Cons
- Premium planner
- A wishlist
- Gift planner
- December month to view
- Festive season food planner
- Recipes
- Festive food orders
- Advanced food preparation
- Christmas Day plan and timings
Best Christmas planner with a traditional design
Credit: AmazonThis beautifully illustrated Christmas planner is ideal for keeping you organised and prepared throughout the festive season. With sections for your Christmas card list, present planning, food and entertaining, a calendar and much more, you can use this planner year after year. Plus, the rabbits (or are they hares?) on the cover are just CUTE.
Customer review: "I absolutely love this planner. I can’t wait to use it. As someone with a large family and I always entertain at Christmas, I wished I’d had it for the last 25 Christmases. Hopefully, it will be with me for the next 25 years! It’s good quality, a notes section, a checklist section and lots more."
Pros
- Lovely illustrations
- Traditional style
- Lots of pages
Cons
- Limited free space
- My wishlist
- Gift budget
- Handy pockets
- Two sheets of illustrated stickers
- Checklist
- Food & Entertaining
- Gift ideas
Best budget Christmas planner
Credit: Card Factorywww.cardfactory.co.uk
At just £1.50, this Christmas planner is an absolute steal and will help you breeze through the festive season. Keep track of your spending, people's prezzie lists, who you've sent cards to, Christmas dinner recipes, and much more.
**Customer review: "**Perfect for my very organised daughter."
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Set pages to keep your planning on track
- Ribbon place holder
Cons
- Small
- Wishlists
- Cards
- Spending tracker
- Christmas Recipes
Best Christmas planner with a simple layout
Credit: AmazonA Christmas planner doesn't need to be extravagant. This matte soft cover has everything you need to stay on top of the holidays. It is simple yet effective, with lots of space for your notes and lists.
Customer review: "Really impressed with the design of this book. It’s the perfect size, and I’m sure it will do a great job of keeping me organised this Christmas!"
Pros
- Simple design
- Lots of writing space
- Calendar's aren't dated
Cons
- It can be difficult to read due to the font colour
- My wishlist
- Gift budget
- Holiday cards tracker (3 pages)
- Decoration budget
- Menu tracker
- Gift ideas
Best wire-bound Christmas planner
Credit: Etsywww.etsy.com
This stylish A5 Christmas Planner is wirebound and designed to be used year after year. It features a beautiful, heavily gold-foiled hardcover as well as different tabbed sections and pockets. From card and gift sending to menu planning, this is ideal for festive organising.
Customer review: "Absolutely in love with this planner. The front cover is great quality, and the design reminds me of the magic of Christmas!! The details and sections within the planner are well thought out and are designed to last for five years. Amazing purchase! Would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a Christmas planner."
Pros
- Multiple-year use
- Hardcover with elastic closer
- Tabbed sections
- Plastic pockets for receipts
Cons
- The wire-bound edge might be a pain for left-handed people
- Present planning
- Gift list
- Handy pockets
- Christmas card list
- Food & Entertaining
- Shopping lists
- Recipes section
Best Christmas planner with dividers
Credit: AmazonThis A5 Christmas planner is pretty and practical, with tabs to help you find what you're after easily and quickly. There are sections for meal plans, recipes, shopping lists, gift lists, expenses and plenty more. The gift list section even includes little tick boxes for bought and wrapped, and with plenty of pages inside, this planner will see you through quite a few Christmases.
Customer review: "Love being organised for Christmas, and this little book is fantastic for that!! I have a massive family, so keeping track of everything is made easy with this book."
Pros
- Hardback cover
- Timeless design
- Simple
- Clean layout
Cons
- It can only be used for one year
- Christmas card list
- Present planning
- Food & Entertaining
- Events Calendar
- List & notes
Best basic Christmas Planner
Credit: Amazon When it comes to finding the perfect Christmas planner, sometimes simple is best. The aim of a planner is a place to store all of your plans so that you can physically see them. We find that putting pen to paper is one of the best ways to stop the Christmas stress. This simple Christmas planner is exactly what you need if you just want a place to store your plans.
Customer review: "Loved this little book! Exactly what I needed. Most other Christmas organisers have everything in, but I just needed a simple gift list so I could write down what I have brought and who for whom, and it's exactly that! Very happy."
Pros
- Luxury soft touch matte cover
- Quality print on white paper
- Simple
Cons
- No place for receipts or papers
- 50 Pages
- Luxury soft touch matte cover
FAQs
What should I put in a Christmas planner?
The best Christmas planners should store all of your festive plans. Your planner should be an aide to keep you organised; therefore, you can keep anything related to Christmas plans. It is a good idea to keep track of your spending, gifts, Christmas cards, and, if possible, receipts.
When should I start my Christmas planner?
The short answer is whenever you want to. Some of the best Christmas planners can be used for multiple years. We believe that it is never too early to start thinking and planning for Christmas. You can start purchasing from as early as Boxing Day the previous year to get sale items and deals all year round. But most people begin their festive planning once Halloween has passed.
Hannah Carroll is a Senior Home, Parenting and Lifestyle Product writer for Yours, specialising in product testing and reviews. As a mother of three, Hannah loves finding clothes that make her feel fabulous and products that are great for large families.