Christmas is supposed to be a time of fun, sparkle and merriment, but for many a small business it can be the cause of a massive headache. This year check out my tips below for trying to reduce some of that stress so that you can enjoy this most glittery of times:

1. Schedule your social media: Facebook has its own scheduling tool but there are lots of other schedulers out there as well. Get some posts written up and scheduled for over the Christmas break. This way you can relax knowing that your page hasn’t gone quiet, you’ll still be in people’s feeds but you can tuck into your 27^th mince pie of the season in peace.

2. Check your website: Take some time to check your website is working correctly. Check there are no dead links. The last thing you want is people trying to browse and giving up because it’s not working.

3. Test sale codes: If you’re planning on having a Boxing Day sale, it’s a good idea to check the codes work now. If you’re scheduling the codes to automatically turn on, check that scheduler too. You could even have a mini pre-Christmas sale to get your customers to check everything works for you. Just have it turn on for an hour or so, let your followers know, they’ll do the leg work for you and you might get some more sales; win-win!

4. Extend your lead times: However long you normally take to get your orders out, consider adding a few more days/weeks on. The last thing you want is someone ordering your beautiful handmade item on Christmas Eve thinking you’re going to post it in two days! Make sure it’s clearly stated in as many places as possible so your customers can’t miss it.

5. Highlight closing dates: If you’re closing over the holiday (and you definitely should consider it!) make sure you let your customers know when you’ll be shut. Put a big banner everywhere you sell and put some posts up on social media so your customers are aware in advance.

6. Finish as much as you can: If there are things that you know you are going to be thinking about all over Christmas, try and get them finished beforehand. Whether it’s catching up on paperwork or designing that new product line, you’ll feel much better knowing that it’s been done.

7. Don’t beat yourself up: We’re all human and there’s only so many hours in the day. If you can’t get everything done that you want to it’s not the end of the world. Make a plan to start after Christmas and then put it to the back of your mind.

8. Take a break: This is the most important one and probably should be at the top of the list really! You’ve been working hard all year and you most definitely deserve a break. So get yourself a nice *insert favourite hot drink here* and *insert favourite Christmas food here*, curl up in a comfy chair and marvel at all you’ve achieved this year. You rock!