Christmas Countdown Week 3: Gifts and Giving

To Do This Week:

•Write and address one-fifth of the Christmas card list this week.

•Review and renegotiate adult gift giving. Can you simplify your family's "unwritten rules? Draw names and set a price limit for a gift exchange. Could your family dispense with adult gifts in favor of gifts to charity or family service project?

•Finish all catalog and online shopping. Print our catalog / Internet tracker page to keep track of catalog purchases.

•Finish making all gift lists.

•Use a three-hole punch to add a large manila envelope to the Christmas planner notebook. Place all receipts in the envelope to track purchases, provide for returns.

•List all gifts to make. Be stern! Make your list and cut it in half--there's less time than you think. List needed materials and add them to the master shopping list. Begin on "to make" gifts this week. You must make one-fourth of your gifts each week.

•Swapping with friends is a great way to share holiday gifts, crafts and decor. Will you swap with other members of online communities? Track swaps with free printable Swaps Tracker and Swaps Directory forms for your Christmas planner.

•Plan Thanksgiving Dinner using the holiday menu planner. Order turkey. Check serving pieces, and write the contents on a Post-it note. Make it easy for other to help!

•Keep tight tabs on the holiday budget. Add gift purchases and other expenditures as you make them.

•Set up a wrap and mail center. You'll speed gift wrapping and parcel mailing with supplies all in one place.

•Schedule family service projects, or sign up for church charity efforts.

•Reserve baby-sitters for December's nights out.

Christmas Countdown Week 2: Reality Check

To Do This Week:

•Divide Christmas card list into five groups. Write and address one group this week.

•Make a holiday budget. Work together with your spouse to set a comfortable level of holiday spending. We make it easy with our printable holiday budget form. Add a printable master shopping list to speed errand days.

•Do your visual field a favor with a quick decor declutter. A clean sweep now makes holiday decorations all the more impressive!

•Set up a holiday housework plan. Print our chore checklist form. Post it publicly and hold family members accountable for delegated tasks.

•Make a family wardrobe check. Fill out the family wardrobe worksheet, and put any "To Buy" items on your shopping list.

•Print a master shopping list, to organize shopping excursions through the holiday season.

•Do you keep a gift closet, adding new gift items year-round? Take inventory now, before you shop for holiday gifts. Use our printable gift closet inventory form.

•Establish good health habits to cushion you and your family from holiday stresses. Focus on regular bedtimes, proper diet, mild exercise and stress reduction.

•Perform a tabletop check. Inventory serving pieces, table linens, china and flatware. Check store flyers for sales. Will you be ready to set a pretty holiday table?

•Schedule family haircut appointments.

•Check smoke, carbon monoxide detectors on Time Change Sunday. Change the batteries and test detectors to keep your family safe.

Christmas Countdown Week 1: Get Organized

To Do This Week:

* Make the promise! Spend 15 minutes each day this week to get organized for Christmas.

* Get comfortable for holiday planning--create a Christmas holiday planning center.

* Set up your Christmas planner in a notebook or three-ring binder.

* If you're using a clear pocket binder, print the cover and spine pages. Insert in pockets of your clear-view binder.

* Add blank lined pages for any notes and records.

* Make or designate a holiday planning calendar. For your Christmas holiday planner, print the Countdown plan calendar. Want more flexible calendar forms?

* Add monthly planning calendars as needed.

* Begin at the beginning: review your family's holiday values. Print and record your findings on the holiday values page.

* Gift-buying looms! Start a master gift list. Print the master gift list form and use it to record purchases and home-made gift items.

* Begin a Christmas card list. Locate addresses, and consider making a computerized Christmas card address list for maximum time savings. Or, print a Christmas card list for your Christmas planner notebook.

* Print a home spruce-up worksheet and complete the holiday home spruce-up exercise. Plan and schedule any pre-holiday home improvement projects.

* Will your family travel this holiday season? Make travel plans and reservations this week.

* Will you host houseguests this year? Make arrangements for any overnight guests.

* Make an appointment for family photo sessions for holiday giving or photo Christmas cards.

* Schedule carpet cleaning now! As the holidays approach, business picks up. Call now for your choice of appointment times.

Christmas Countdown starts Sunday!!

This Sunday, October 25th begins the Christmas Countdown. If you don't know what this is, it's 6 weeks of Christmas prep broken down into simple tasks to complete each week. Here are the weeks:

Week 1: Get Organized
Week 2: Reality Check
Week 3: Gifts and Giving
Week 4: Get Cooking
Week 5: Decorate
Week 6: Celebrate

You can find all the details about this awesome plan at Organized Christmas. I will be implementing this plan and posting my progress each week along with the check list for that week. Join me?

CIJ is officially over

Now that Christmas in July is officially over, I wanted to post a thanks to all of those who have viewed and commented on my blog. I feel rather proud that I managed to get a post in everyday this month. However, with the end of CIJ unfortunately will come the end of daily posts. I plan on working hard to keep a steady flow of posts coming but they will be more spaced out. So please stay tuned for more Christmas fun!

Homemade Gift Ideas

FamilyFun has a huge list of gifts you or your kids can make right inside your own home. There are instructions for hobby boxes, no-sew fleece pillow, and many, many more.

This website has instructions on how to make star Santas, gift tags, marshmallow snowmen and more.

Amazing Moms has instructions for hand and foot reindeer, sparkling snowflake ornaments, wreaths and more.

Teacher Gift: Caramel Apple Kit

This could also be used for Halloween.

Basically you take a tin bucket and put in a Fuji apple, an individual thing of caramel sauce, and a small packet of crushed nuts. Decorate the tin with ribbon or stickers, etc.

These could also make great party favors for a holiday get together.