Christmas Planner

Am I the only one that hasn't made one of these yet? Well, until now. I don't know how I functioned without one before. I'm sure some of you are saying "Why do I need one?" Well, maybe YOU don't. But I do!! My memory seems to be about non-existent these days and there's no way that I remember things from year to year. Admit it, how many times have you asked your friends for their addresses or thought, "I know ***** said he wanted ***** for a gift, but I can't remember." Ok, maybe it hasn't happened to you, but Miss Scatterbrain here has this occur on a regular basis.

So I did a little looking around and found a site that I have fallen in love with... www.organizedchristmas.com . She has EVERYTHING-even the printable label for the spine of the binder. Anyone that has this, in my book, is organized!!

Of course, not all of her pages apply to me, but many of them are just perfect for our simple holiday to-do list. I love the page called "holiday values worksheet" where you get to talk about what went well last year, what stresses you faced, and what you'd do differently this year.

I also love the "Holiday budget" worksheet so I can see exactly where my Christmas budget is going, and where I might be overspending.

I did most of my shopping online this year, and I've had the receipts scattered about. Now, I have them all organized in a page protector in my binder, behind the "catalog/internet orders" worksheet. Love it!

Ok, I have to confess, I'm using the "Christmas card list" worksheet. It has this year, and the next three years listed, and then has boxes for you to mark for "sent" and for "received". I have to admit, this is a little pet peeve of mine. It's disheartening to send out so many cards and get so few in return. So I'm keeping a list and checking it twice! lol (Oh, and this binder is going to remind me next year NOT to order SQUARE cards. Who knew that it costs $0.20 more to send something square!?!?! Lesson learned!!)

Another issue I have around the holidays is "how much food do I cook" for the crowd we're having over? I also peel a bag of potatoes and say to myself "I'll look and see how many leftovers we have and make a mental note so I know about how many to peel next year". Of course, I NEVER remember so I end up with way too much food! (At least it's too much instead of not enough)

Anyways, just thought I'd share this website with you, incase you haven't made a binder, and desperately need one, like me! Happy Holidays!