I know what you’re thinking. “It was 90-friggin-degrees today in Austin, Whitney”, you say. “It’s not even Halloween yet, for goodness sake! There is absolutely no way it’s time for Christmas crafting.” I get it.
But, I’m sorry to tell you this, you’re wrong. It’s totally time for Christmas crafting. Here’s why:
1. Depending on what you’re making, it’ll take you the next few months to get it finished.
My family and I are big fans of the Bucilla felt ornament and stocking kits. Every woman in the family has her own stash of beautiful, handmade, colorful, kid-friendly ornaments. The vintage ones that our grandmothers and great aunts made are hotly disputed among the grandkids and cousins – and with good reason, as you’ll spend a pretty penny finding the vintage ones on auction sites nowadays. (Click “continue reading” to see more!)
My favorite set from my own childhood, the Big Bad Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, and Grandmother, probably cost under $5 in the 70s. Now the unfinished kit will cost you $90 on Ebay, or you can buy the individual ornaments assembled for $45 a piece on Etsy. Crazy!
Above you’ll see the stocking I made Carl a few years ago. It took me around four months of working on it a few hours a week to get it together. If you’re taking on a more cumbersome project like this – you better get to it.
2. The best Christmas card sites are having pretty sweet sales right now. 
You can wait till November, if you want, but you’ll pay more. Minted, where we got our Christmas card last year (above) has 20% off and free recipient addressing (trust me, you want this!) with coupon code PREVIEW2014 through Monday. This year, we ordered through TinyPrints, who has 30% off with code SEPSALE and free shipping on orders over $49 with code FREESHIP, ending today. (Yes, those coupons are combinable!)
Editor’s Note: Those sales have ended, but Minted is now offering Mrs. Millennial readers 20% off for first-time customers or 15% off for all customers on holiday cards, just by ordering through this link!
Moreover, even if you’re going with a custom Christmas card, best to get on your designer’s radar before they get super swamped. Plus, it’ll be one less thing to worry about when your holiday to-do list is suddenly a million miles long.
3. If you’re planning on crafting your gifts, you still have time to mess up, try again, and/or change your mind.
Who doesn’t love a thoughtful, handmade present? People on the receiving end of your poorly-executed Pinterest-fails, that’s who.
If you’re going to try to make a crafted item for your holiday presents, give yourself some time to learn what you’re doing. Most of us modern women have not exactly been brought up learning how to can our own jams and jellies or make potpourri — we were out learning coding languages, getting law degrees, and generally kicking ass and defeating the patriarchy. So don’t be ashamed (or surprised, even) if you don’t magically transform into Martha Stewart the second you put on an apron.
Starting your crafting projects now gives you time to perfect them so that come December all your friends can’t believe you’re so talented at the domestic arts while also holding down a full-time job in a male-centric field. No biggie 🙂
And, of course, the best reason of all for starting on your Christmas crafts now?
It’s fun! Tell me what you’re making in the comments!
