There are just 87 days and counting until St. Nick puts in his annual appearance. The key to making this a joyous time of year — rather than the usual frenzy — can be summed up in one word: preparation.

With that in mind, here’s a quick list of tasks you may want to tend to now, so you can actually enjoy your holidays along with your clients:

1. Begin to place your holiday retail orders now. This gives you time to package and display your merchandise creatively.

2. If you’re sending out seasonal cards, pick them out in the next few weeks. Go over your client roster to make sure you have complete names and addresses. You can even address the envelopes.

3. If you’re giving a gift to each of your clients, begin looking for that special item to purchase (or make) now.

4. How about designing some special holiday-themed gift certificates and gift cards to spur sales? Experiment with attractive ways to package and display them.

5. Pick a date for a holiday open house where you can display your unique retail offerings, sell gift certificates, and allow clients to purchase a series of services at a discount.

6. Think about how you are going to reach out to spouses and boyfriends. Perhaps you want to create a cute wish list clients can deliver to their significant others. You might investigate placing an ad in the local paper.

7. If you want to involve your clients in a charitable donation, think about what cause you want to support and how you’re going to go about it.

— Judy