Your Holiday To-Dos
In an effort to simplify my to-do list during this very busy holiday season, I have invited Jennifer Tankersley of ListPlanIt.com and 100 Days of Christmas to Virtually Organized to share her list of ideas for simplifying your holiday to-do lists. Welcome, Jennifer!
Ideally, I believe we should float through December on a bubble of holiday spirit. We would laugh all day long. We would sit around our tree listening to carols every evening. We would invite all of our loved ones to share with us in a big holiday dinner, in which all of the food was already prepared and the kitchen magically cleaned itself. We could eat and eat the delicious food that manifests throughout the holidays and not gain a pound. And numerous and thoughtful gifts for our family appeared under the tree out of nowhere. Unfortunately, the holiday season, though beautifully meaningful, can be a lot more work than the childlike dream. If you arm yourself with the right tools, however, December does not have to be a stressful month to simply be endured. Here are some components you should have for a holiday to-do list.
1) No one should attempt the holidays without a December calendar, preferably October through December. These are all months with major holidays and lots of activities so spreading out your planning and preparation is vital. Penciling in goals is so important. Keeping your calendars in a place that you are sure to check often is also key. It does not help to set deadlines for yourself if you aren’t reminded.
2) Let there be parties and plays and performances and pageants. The holidays are filled with opportunities for events that should be enjoyed. However, many of them carry their own obligations: costumes, food, gifts, etc. When noting each event on your calendar, be sure to include a timeline for finishing the costume or baking the cookies or buying the gag gift.
3) Even though food is an essential part of our everyday (every few hours) existence, it takes on even greater significance during the holidays. Let’s face it, holidays and special occasions tend to revolve around the kitchen and the dining room table. Whether you are a cookie baker, the host for the Thanksgiving or Christmas meal, or a guest to a holiday get-together or potluck, there will be a lot of cooking going on in your kitchen this November and December. Start looking now at the recipes that have worked in the past and for recipes that might work for something different. Make copies and store them in your holiday planning book.
4) Parents work hard to promote and teach togetherness and tradition, giving and kindness, but we all know that if there is not the right children-to-present ratio under the tree on Christmas morning, or if Santa does not bring the right highly-sought-after gift, then we fear disappointed faces. Gift-buying for our families is an event that requires thriftiness, intuitiveness, and skill. It is not for the faint-hearted. Starting a Gift List early in the year will help you keep track of the “wants” mentioned throughout the year. A Gift List will help you keep track of gifts and spending so you know what you have and what you still need to get.
Jennifer Tankersley is the creator of 100 Days to Christmas, a daily dose of inspiration and motivation to help you prepare for the busy upcoming holiday season and ListPlanIt.com, which has over 350 printable lists and planning pages including everything you need to get prepared for Christmas! You'll find calendars, daily to do lists, card lists, wish lists, gift lists, cookie/candy planner, party planning pages, holiday meal planning pages, grocery lists, and so much more.
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