The holidays? Already?: Five reasons to plan early

The other day, we were in a hardware store, and we spotted with absolute horror the Thanksgiving decorations that were already out. Yeah, we know, we couldn't believe it either. But then the event planning side of us took over, and we realized that we'd better start thinking about the holidays. Parties, both the ones you plan for your own employees and the ones you plan as a gesture of goodwill! Annual gift-giving! Here are five reasons we like to plan early:

1. The Guest List
It's a nightmare already: For some parties, you're inviting clients and partners, and maybe media--basically, anyone who's helped make your business a success over the past year. So what's the best way to make sure that you don't leave anyone important off the list? Start thinking about it now. Planning an invitation list is a lot like trying to get someone to name the Seven Dwarves: you never remember them all at the first try, so give yourself plenty of time to get down every single person who counts.

2. Give Yourself Space
We're lucky--we generally hold our parties in our own spaces. But if you're like any other corporation, there's a good chance you'll have to find a place to have your party or event. Guess what? Locking in space early is one of the best, and easiest, things you can do for yourself. Once you've found a place, you can plan around it--food and beverage, activities, so on.

3. Recruiting Help
If you plan to start, um, the planning early enough, one option is to create a committee around the planning. In general, everything goes easier if there's more than one set of shoulders under the burden, so see if you can enlist some help. Asking early will help that.

4. Room for Oopsies
We've all had them--something got misprinted, or you didn't plan for enough people. With enough prior notice, most things can be fixed or Band-Aided. Wait too long, and...yeah. No time for fixes. Or Band-Aids.

5. Peace of Mind. 
This one's kind of self-explanatory. Staying calm during the holiday season is a total myth. But planning early can help take some of the sting out of it.

How early will you start planning your holiday activities? Let us know in the comments, or send us a tweet.