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?