Christmas Planning: The Lists

“... making a list, and checking it twice, gonna find out who's naughty or nice…”

We’ve been humming this tune while thinking about the next section of our Christmas notebooks, Lists! Some of the best-organized people live their lives by following a list. There is something rather satisfying about checking off a task on a list. Maybe you’ve even been known to put things ON your list just so you can check them OFF?! Sure, we’re guilty too.

We are in the middle of a series of posts about how to put together a Christmas Notebook, that one place where “All Things Christmas” resides to make your holiday season less stressful and rushed. We've already picked up our supplies, and have started our books with an Ideas tab at the front. Today, let's work on our lists!

Who do you want to give a Christmas gift to? What about Christmas cards and all those addresses? And, events, what events are traditional for you and what others do you dream of including if you were better organized? There are dozens of possibilities for lists, all determined by your own traditions and tastes!

Here are the lists we are starting with:

Christmas Card Addresses

Even though you have these addresses in an address book or perhaps in your contacts on your phone or laptop, take the time to gather those addresses for this notebook. Keep track of who sends you a card each year; these are your primary relationships! Don't leave it up to your memory as to who you sent a card to last year or who sent you one.

Gift Recipients

Of course your family members and some close friends will be on this list, but also remember the service people that grace your lives every day. Some ideas that come to mind are the postperson/UPS/FedEx drivers, your kid’s teachers, babysitter or daycare provider, garbage collector . . . anyone who makes your life a little easier throughout the year. The gift doesn't have to be expensive or elaborate; it's the sentiment and the thought that counts the most.

Events

Christmas programs, plays, concerts, parades, parties and open houses (yours, too!). As you are notified of these dates, you'll add them to your calendar (which we'll get to later). If you host an annual Christmas open house and have a different theme each year, keep track of that here. When your calendar gets too busy to include certain events you hear about during the holiday season, jot them down in this section to plan to attend next year. You get the idea.

Recipes

Oh, the treasured recipes that are passed down through the generations! Keep a list of them here, and what cookbook or recipe file you store them in. Keep track of what you made last year that was a big hit, new recipes you want to try, and those secret family heirloom delectables!

Decorating

Throughout the year some of your family members will get married, couples will have babies or adopt, puppies and kittens will become family members, and they are all going to need a stocking. We've got your covered on this one! With ready-made stockings to personalize and kits that you put together yourself, these stockings will become treasured heirlooms! So, when life events take place that add new members to your circle, jot their names down in this section. Also, if you put out lawn decorations or have a light display, are there pieces that need replacing or updating? Keep track of what you need for the following season, and then hit up some of the postseason sales. It's a great way to save a lot of money!

Be thinking of other lists to include in your Christmas notebooks. We’re all about having a less stressful time so we can make the best season of the year even better, right? Look for our last installment in our Christmas Notebook series: The Calendar.