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The Christmas Morning Sanity Basket

Share & Help Me Grow

With young children in our home, Christmas morning is very much a “last one to the tree is a rotten egg” kind of deal. The last thing I want to do is put the excitement on hold while I find the camera or when we need scissors to open a package. So, a few years ago, I planned ahead and the Under the Christmas Tree Basket has been a part of our Christmas tradition ever since.

Christmas Morning SANITY Basket - Fabulous idea for keeping everything together and under the tree. Check the comments for more ideas!

Find a medium-sized basket. I picked a Christmas-y one up at Hobby Lobby when they were 50% off.

Next, on Christmas Eve, fill up your basket with all the items you might need on Christmas day:

  • Screwdrivers (phillips and flat or an all-in-one screwdriver)
  • Scissors
  • Needle-nose pliers
  • Box cutter
  • Scotch tape
  • Extra bows
  • Camera
  • Video camera
  • Batteries (various sizes)
  • Garbage bags (Thanks to Jayme!)
  • Wire cutters (Thanks to Jayme!)

Finally, tuck the basket away under the tree. (NOTE: Please keep all sharp objects away from small children.)

things you need on Christmas morning

The funny thing is that no matter what I have in the basket, we always need something odd that I didn’t put in it. However, I definitely spend less time running around on Christmas morning and get to sit and enjoy the chaos.

What do you keep handy for Christmas morning?

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: Christmas, Organizing, Sanity Savers, Seasonal

About Tabitha

Hi! I'm Tabitha! But, I bet you expected someone named "Penny." Long story made short, Penny is the coupon binder I started in 2010 when we were totally broke... as in BANKRUPT. Now, as a mom of five, I make 6-figures a year working at home and share ways to help you move from penny to profit while you raise a family with sense on cents.

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Comments

  1. Jayme says

    December 11, 2012 at 7:49 am

    Great list! We do something similar but add wire cutters & extra garbage bags to the basket. 🙂

    Reply
    • Penny says

      December 11, 2012 at 9:28 am

      I love those additions! I’m going to to add those to the list. Thanks, Jayme!

      Reply
  2. Dee Johnson says

    December 11, 2012 at 10:56 am

    I pinned it! I don’t know why I never thought to do this before. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Penny says

      December 11, 2012 at 8:30 pm

      I am so glad I can help, Dee! I know you probably have your hands super full on Christmas morning. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Jamie (@va_grown) says

    December 11, 2012 at 3:42 pm

    What a great idea! I’ve actually started filling and lining up lidded cups for each child in the fridge on Christmas Eve so that I don’t have to stop taking pictures or helping with packages to fix drinks for everyone 15 minutes into the morning.

    Reply
    • Penny says

      December 11, 2012 at 8:34 pm

      I LOVE this idea. I am going to do this! Thanks, Jamie.

      Reply
    • Joan says

      December 15, 2012 at 9:20 pm

      Similar to the sippy cup idea, when Santa fills our stockings he put a few juice boxes and breakfast bars on top. It allows me to be present in the room and not busy in the kitchen while the kids are having fun, and it makes sure the kids eat something in the morning so they don’t end up having a low blood sugar meltdown after all the boxes are unwrapped!

      Reply
      • Penny says

        December 16, 2012 at 5:48 pm

        LOVE, love the juice boxes. I am definitely doing that. Thanks Joan!

        Reply
  4. Laura says

    December 11, 2012 at 7:05 pm

    I usually make sure I have my camera and extra batteries ready because my camera eats batteries for lunch. But I love the idea of this basket. One thing that we always do here is cut open all the tape on the outside packaging of a toy, cut most of the infuriating wires and strings holding a toy in the packaging, and if possible (and needed) put batteries in it BEFORE wrapping the gift.

    Reply
    • Penny says

      December 11, 2012 at 8:35 pm

      That is SUPER smart, Laura. I’ve never thought about doing that before. Now I am going to comb through our stuff and see what I can do.

      Reply
  5. Dollie @ Teachers of Good Things says

    December 12, 2012 at 10:02 am

    What a SUPER great idea! I have never heard this one and it makes so much sense!

    I saw you at the What Works Wednesday link up!

    Reply
  6. Christi says

    December 14, 2012 at 7:31 am

    Smart. I love this idea!

    Reply
    • Penny says

      December 14, 2012 at 12:54 pm

      Thanks, Christi. I hope it helps you! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Jojo says

    December 15, 2012 at 2:03 pm

    I love this! I do have an add though. How about a large open ended box already giftwrapped so your photos don’t haveva trashbag in the center ofvtje room? All ripped off wrapping paper goes in the box!

    Reply
    • Penny says

      December 16, 2012 at 2:28 pm

      Very cute idea, Jojo! As you can see from the picture above, that is a perfect idea for us. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Mandy says

    December 15, 2012 at 7:21 pm

    What an amazing idea! With a 2 and 3 year old this year, the basket would be awesome!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Penny says

      December 16, 2012 at 5:43 pm

      I am so glad that you think this can help, Mandy. Merry Christmas!

      Reply
  9. Dawn O says

    December 15, 2012 at 8:38 pm

    Non-sugary snacks to help keep everyone from getting grumpy later on from the sugar crash from their stockings. We usually have sausage balls or some other finger food on hand.

    Reply
    • Penny says

      December 16, 2012 at 5:46 pm

      We put granola bars and raisins in the stockings, but having something available for the early morning nibbles is a great idea. I might not recommend putting food under your Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, especially if you have pets, but having something prepared in the refrigerator. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Lisha Driver says

    December 15, 2012 at 9:10 pm

    I love the Under The Tree Basket idea. Very smart! I usually have a garbage bag handy but that’s it. We always end up looking for tools we need. Thanks for the great idea!

    Reply
    • Penny says

      December 16, 2012 at 5:47 pm

      Thanks for the comment, Lisha. Wishing you a very peaceful Christmas morning. 🙂

      Reply
  11. Lawana says

    December 24, 2012 at 10:23 pm

    What a great idea! I’m listing items to hubby right now. LOL
    Merry Christmas!

    Reply
    • Penny says

      December 25, 2012 at 10:29 am

      Fabulous! I am glad you think it will help. 🙂

      Reply
  12. Patricia says

    December 24, 2012 at 10:40 pm

    thank you for this list, also black sharpie case you need to write names, now we know who is whos for certain items.

    Reply
  13. Angel says

    December 25, 2012 at 3:16 am

    What are the extra bows for?

    Reply
    • Penny says

      December 25, 2012 at 10:38 am

      LOL. Those were some renegade that we could not get to stick to their presents so I tossed them in there, deciding to just stick them at the last minute, and didn’t remove them before the picture.

      Reply
  14. Tracy @ usingtimewisely.com says

    December 27, 2012 at 1:54 pm

    Love this! Also, add a hand-crank can opener for those plastic packages (think bundle of batteries). The can opener will open the package without hurting your hand trying to cut the plastic. 🙂 Merry Christmas!

    Reply
    • Penny says

      December 27, 2012 at 3:29 pm

      GREAT idea, Tracy. That would certainly be safer that leaving a box cutter in there.

      Reply
  15. Kindra says

    November 9, 2013 at 11:01 pm

    Last year, my daughter was 3 and I took a lot of things out of the box, put it in batteries, etc. and then put it in a gift bag. No waiting forever just to get the toy out of the blasted box. Also eliminated some of the clutter. For a 3-yr-old who was not patient, it was perfect.

    Reply
  16. Nadia says

    November 19, 2013 at 7:27 pm

    How about a bag for keeping bows in to reuse again? A note pad for noting who sent what so you can encourage kids to send thank you notes. And a lint roller to pick up all that GLITTER!

    Reply
    • Penny says

      November 20, 2013 at 2:22 pm

      Great ideas, Nadia!

      Reply
  17. Rose says

    October 20, 2014 at 5:55 pm

    I’ve been doing this for years too. I also put I. The basket a large manilia envelope to keep all the instructions and product info so they don’t get thrown out with all the wrapping paper.

    Reply
  18. Jenetta Penner says

    December 23, 2014 at 1:01 am

    Nice idea, will definitely save lots of headaches during those busy Christmas mornings!

    Reply
  19. Connie says

    December 23, 2014 at 6:58 am

    I love this idea and have started collecting items for my basket. I was also thinking some ziploc bags would be a great addition for holding small parts. We always have Monster High shoes, My Little Pony combs, etc. that we tend to misplace. Someone else mentioned a Sharpie, which would come in handy to label the bags. Thanks so much for this awesome idea!

    Reply
  20. Alex says

    December 23, 2014 at 12:11 pm

    We also have a designated box or laundry basket for each person to put their stuff in as they open it that way stocking stuffers and small things like gift cards don’t get lost or mixed up 🙂

    Reply
  21. Iris says

    December 23, 2014 at 12:46 pm

    Oh wow! Great idea! Somehow, it never occurred to me to have any of those items ready ahead of time, but I KNOW I would be disappointed if I miss all the fun while running all over the house for things ;). Our kids are still young, so this is the first Christmas they are really understanding and excited. You have just given me the best preparation idea I’ve seen yet :). Thank you, thank you!!!

    Reply
  22. Lisa says

    December 23, 2014 at 1:38 pm

    So smart. I would not have thought of this.

    Reply
  23. Jess says

    December 23, 2014 at 3:36 pm

    Ack…Fantastic idea!!! I’ll be putting mine together tonight. Thanks so much for sharing this idea. I’m going to share with Scratch Mommy readers later today. 🙂

    Reply
  24. Grace Houle says

    December 23, 2014 at 11:01 pm

    This is a really great idea! Thank you so much for sharing.

    Reply
  25. Kristi Clover says

    December 5, 2015 at 5:11 pm

    BRILLIANT!! I usually have all these items close by, but I love the idea of putting them in a basket!! Wire cutters especially!! Oh, and our Christmas tradition (since I was a kid), Santa brings us mini boxes of sugar cereal and mandarin oranges in our stockings. The kids have these right after we open stockings giving me time to get the fancy breakfast put together. 🙂 Thanks for the great idea, Tabitha!! 🙂

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. FAMILY CHOWDER – CHRISTMAS MORNING: Thinking Outside the Basket says:
    December 20, 2014 at 5:22 pm

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