Do you vow each year that this is the year you will relax and enjoy the holiday, only to find that by mid-December you’re so stressed that you can’t wait for it to be over?

Well, this year you can keep your vow. Use the timelines here to get everything done – and still have time to catch the spirit!



PLANNING

Just 15 minutes a day of planning can work miracles for you – and if you have all of your lists, ideas and holiday notes in one place, there will never be a scramble to find your shopping list or Uncle Bob’s shirt size. The secret is in a holiday planner (control journal, Yule Book, organizer, whatever you want to call it), which we’ll set up this week. It can be part of your regular planner or datebook, or you can make a special holiday planner and decorate it to make a holiday book to inspire you for years to come.

For now, just set up pages with the following headings:

Gifts and Cards: Budget, Gift Ideas, Gifts on Hand, Gifts to Make (only if you enjoy really doing this and it makes Christmas special for you), Gifts to Buy, Catalog and Internet Order Record, Christmas Card List;

Entertaining and Traveling: Party Ideas for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas; Party Plans for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas – and, if you decide to have a party you may want a separate section devoted to it with space for guest list, menu, decorations, activities and invitations; Menus for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas; Travel Plans; Cleaning: Detailed cleaning and holiday spruce-up list for each room;

Decorating: Decorating ideas; Decorations to Make; Decoration Plans; Inventory of Craft Supplies; Inventory of Decorations;

Cooking and Baking: Freezer Inventory; Pantry Inventory; Menus (monthly, Halloween, Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day Dinner); Food Gifts to Make; Baking List; Holiday Recipes List; Meals to Freeze Ahead; Master Shopping List

Wardrobe Plans: Clothing Inventory for each person; Wardrobe Checklist by event

Talk to your family now about holiday traditions they like and don’t like. There is certainly no sense in making three pies for Thanksgiving if your family only wants pumpkin pie!

Plan Halloween costumes for your children and yourselves.



ENTERTAINING

Get out your Halloween music, or start collecting it on your computer or mp3 player.

List Halloween movies to rent, and plan to rent one each weekend in October to get everyone in the mood!



CLEANING AND CLEARING

Your home must be clean and maintained to get through the holidays without panic and guilt. Just do it until it gets done. What you don’t get done in October, you can finish in November as the lists will repeat. Don’t obsess over it – just do what you can. This week, work on the storage areas, since you’ll be getting into them to find your Halloween decorations anyway. Deep clean the attic, basement, garage, and/or storage rooms.



DECORATING

Use some general fall decorations that can last through Thanksgiving – nuts, fall leaves, mini gourds, pumpkins, etc.

Start packing up the bric-a-brac that will only be in the way when you set out your holiday decorations (BONUS – that’s three months of not dusting them!).

If you already know you need decorating supplies such as lights or replacement bulbs, buy them now.

Get out your Halloween decorations.



SHOPPING AND ERRANDS

Begin stocking up on items you know you’ll need over the holidays. This week, buy canned goods such as pumpkins, yams, condensed milk, etc. Buy some extra food for food drives.

Purchase your Halloween supplies – trick-or-treat candy, candy corn, etc.

As soon as they become available, purchase your pumpkin, gourds, Indian corn and unshelled nuts. Un-carved pumpkins will last through Thanksgiving if you keep them inside and out of the sun.

Begin shopping for gift ideas in catalogs or on the Internet – just bookmark the websites and catalogs for now. Aim for clutter-free gifts.



HOLIDAY FOODS

Begin doubling up meals for the freezer. Plan to freeze at least one meal per week, and be sure to make family favorites. This is a painless way to stock your freezer, as it takes little more effort to make two meatloaves than to make one – and you will need those meals later in the season.



GIFTS AND CARDS

Start requesting wish lists and size updates from your family now, and write the information on your gift ideas sheet.

Start buying gifts this week (aim for 1/6 of the total per week), and wrap them as you go. Inventory your gift wrap supplies.

Order Christmas cards, or plan the design of homemade cards. If buying them, purchase as soon as possible.

Start collecting mailing boxes for gifts; later you can store the gifts in the boxes until ready to send.

If you are making some homemade gifts, work on them a little each week.

If having a Halloween party, make the invitations and send them out so your friends will have ample time to prepare their costumes. Be sure to ask for help with the menu!


Next: fill in your planner pages and get your holiday started!

[Next]


Countdown Schedule: [Oct.1]  [Oct. 8]  [Oct. 15]  [Oct. 22]  [Oct. 29]  [Nov. 5]  [Nov. 12]  [Nov. 19]  [Nov. 26] [Dec. 3]