Now is a great time to make and use a Christmas planner! Why? Because the best way to have lots of good ideas for the upcoming Christmas season is to have a place to save and organize your ideas as they come.
Use a Binder
My Christmas planner is a large binder, where I have sections for the things that are most important to me: Gifts, Cards, Cooking, Decorating, Entertaining, and Crafts. Each section holds the key to what has worked well in the past, as well as new ideas I’d like to try.
Organize Your Ideas Section by Section
Gifts: This section has a printed gift list that I update each year. Whenever necessary, I add new friends, family, or colleagues, or remove those for whom a gift is no longer appropriate. After each name, there is a space for recording gifts that have been purchased throughout the year. At the end of the list, there is a space for writing gift ideas as I think of them. This section also holds any gift ideas from magazines or online with notations on whom may like them.
Cards: This section has a printed Christmas card list that also serves as an address book throughout the year. Each entry has the contact names and addresses, and includes the names of any children. Like the gift list, I keep it updated with each address change I receive. I also keep favorite past Christmas cards in the divider pocket for inspiration.
Cooking: Here I keep the Christmas recipes that I plan to use again, as well as new recipes that I’ve found during the year. I especially try to save those that will fit my needs during the busy Christmas season, including those for large groups and that can be made ahead.
Decorating: For this section, I keep Christmas images that speak to me, that create the kind of vibe or color scheme I want for my home at Christmas time. When it comes time to decorate, I have inspiration at my fingertips. Paging through this section helps inspire the holiday spirit, too, if you aren’t quite feeling it yet!
Entertaining: I host an ornament exchange mid-December, and a family gathering on Christmas Day each year. In the past, I have also hosted a Christmas luncheon for friends. I love creating a festive setting and picking up new ideas to make these events special. This section holds ideas for all kinds of holiday gatherings, including table decor and activities for kids.
Crafts: Christmas crafts always make me smile. I keep patterns and directions for handmade items in this section, and when i am thinking of making a gift or a special decoration, I look here first.
Create a Christmas planner and use it to organize all your good ideas throughout the year. Come November and December (and even before then), you’ll be glad you did!
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