From pumpkin spice lattes to cooler weather, it's easy to tell that fall is here. That means Christmas is right around the corner, along with a mountain of details to manage while preparing for Christmas services.

In addition to deciding if you'll have services on Christmas Day (which happens to be on a Sunday this year), you'll also need more volunteers than a typical service. With many people traveling to visit family over the holidays, you'll need to plan ahead to make sure you have enough volunteers for each service.

Here are a few tips to help you get started:

Tip 1: Decide on dates and times

You can't get volunteers to commit to serving until your church leadership team commits to service dates and times. Especially with Christmas Day being Sunday this year, you'll have to decide whether to do Christmas Eve services and/or offer a service on Christmas Day.

Make that call ASAP so your team can plan accordingly.

Tip 2: Determine who you'll need and in what roles

How many volunteers will you need in each role for each service? Create a simple spreadsheet with volunteer roles in the far left column (greeters, ushers, childcare, etc.) and service dates/times in the following columns. Put the number of volunteers you'll need in each role at each service in the intersecting cells.

As you get volunteers committing to serve, note that in your spreadsheet to track how many more people you still need.

Tip 3: Start asking volunteers now

Don't wait until a week or two before Christmas to ask people to serve at Christmas services. As soon as you've completed the first two tips, start asking your current volunteers to sign up for one or more services.

By starting this process now, you'll quickly learn who will be out of town or who won't be able to serve. When you have this information early, you have more time to branch out and ask people who have been on the fence about serving or who haven't served in a while to step up.

Sometimes, a one-time commitment is easier for people to agree to and becomes an on-ramp for them to start serving on a consistent basis.

Tip 4: Communicate early and often

As volunteers sign up to help at a Christmas service, keep them informed in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Send out emails about when you need them to arrive, how long they should expect to be at the church, what you need them to do, etc.

Reiterate these points during any volunteer meetings you'll have between now and Christmas. This ensures they know what you expect plus reminds them of what they committed to do.

Tip 5: Send out reminders

The only downside of asking volunteers to sign up early is they may forget along the way. Send out email and/or text message reminders two weeks out, a week out and the day before services.

Planning Christmas services doesn't have to be stressful. Start planning now, get volunteers on board, and communicate plans to them along the way. You've got this!