Christmas Bliss

Enjoy the holiday spirit all year long!

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Make (and Use) a Christmas Planner

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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!

After Christmas Sale Savvy

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If you’re like me, on December 26th, the last thing you feel like doing is fighting a crowd at an After Christmas Sale. And maybe, like me, you have thought that by mid-January, everything is so picked over that the time for Christmas deals is long past. But here are six things worth looking for now that will save you time and money next Christmas season:

  • Indoor and outdoor lights – Check the Christmas clearance bins for specialty lights such as icicles, snowflakes, larger globe ot LED strand lights that might still be left. Home maintenance and hardware stores may have a larger selection on sale through the end of the month.
  • Christmas fabrics – These actually go on sale before Christmas arrives, so the selection may be dwindling, but you can still pick up festive plaid flannels and winter motifs for quilting or pajamas, or whatever sewing projects you’ll want to start in the summer months.
  • Wired ribbon – Honestly, I don’t think you can ever have enough wired ribbon. Great for wrapping, of course, but it also can be used in a million different ways for decorating the house and tree. Look for unusual patterns or colors you know you’ll use.
  • Odd ornaments – Most of the ornaments will be picked over by this time, it’s true, but it is worth a look for the odd, one-of-a-kind or funny ornament that will make a great topper for a gift or stocking stuffer for someone special.
  • Food containers – Often tin containers for cookies and other treats are still available, as are unusual containers, such as the “Chinese food” boxes in Christmas prints I found last year. So do a quick count of anticipated hostess or neighbor gifts and stock up now.
  • Boxed Christmas cards or invitations – If you don’t use personalized, printed cards and invitations (or even if you do, but always need a few extras), now is a great time to pick up a box or two of cute Christmas cards to use as needed next season.

Finally, don’t forget to shop the outlet or sale pages of your favorite online stores in January, where you’ll often find cute decorations, ornaments, and specialty gift items that can be easily stored for next Christmas.