On Your Mark, Get Set

It's so hard for me to believe that we are here again, already.  I could swear that we just rang in the new year.  How is it possible that the holiday planning season is already upon us.  Where has 2013 gone?

Well, like it or not, it's time to get started.  If the next few months go half as fast as the past 8, we will be eternally grateful we started early.

Our Christmas planning schedule will begin this Saturday, August 31st.  Here are a few things to prepare before we get going.

*Dig out your holiday planner from last year and clear out what you no longer need. If you didn't have a chance to get one, head out and snatch up a few things from the back to school shelves.  You will need:

• a 3 ring binder
• subject dividers
• notebook filler paper
• pencil zipper pouch
• pens and pencils

If that is too involved, just remember a spiral notebook will be sufficient.  Just make sure you have something to help you keep all your planning tools together.

*Take some time to look up some holiday recipes or crafts you might like to try.  The good part of starting your planning early is that it enables you to let your creative juices flow and try something new.  Sometimes we get stuck in a holiday rut.  Explore and see what new and fun things are worth trying!

*Put your holiday hat on.  Now that summer vacations are over and kids have started back to school, hopefully there's some room for you to start thinking about other things.  As you wander through the store, take stock of what is on sale or on clearance.  Start thinking about gift ideas.  You might be surprised what you can accomplish already.  Don't forget to grab some of those cheap crayons or markers for stocking stuffers.

Time to get busy.  See you on the 31st!

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

We are finished!  The next two weeks can be spent enjoying time with friends and family and experiencing the season the way it is intended.  Snuggle up on the couch, watch your favorite movies, make gingerbread houses with your kids (if the relaxing is too dull for you), drive around looking at Christmas lights.  Just enjoy!

Have a delightful season, a wonderful Christmas, and a blessed and healthy new year!

Week 15 Joy To the World

December 2nd-8th

I hope you have enjoyed the ease of your holidays and are truly seeing the benefits of starting your preparation so early.  See, you're not as crazy as some people wanted you to think you are.  The rest of our weeks are mainly focused on maintenance.  I wish I could say there would be no more cooking, baking, shopping, or cleaning to do, but we all live in the real world.  As you engage in all of those things, I hope you are doing so without the overwhelming feeling of stress that normally accompanies them this time of year.  If you are, then your planning has been a success!  Take a few hours and go get a mani/pedi.  You deserve it!

This week, all you have to do is...

Mail your packages and the rest of your cards, which are all packed, addressed, and ready to go.  This is a great time to ship them online through the U.S. Post Office . You can pay for and print your labels at home and avoid the long lines.  Even better, as long as you ship at least one package Priority Mail, you can shedule a pick up and ALL of your packages will be collected from your front door.

Wrap and label any other gifts

Prepare teacher/school gifts.  You will be thrilled when you don't have to rush to wrap them all the night before they need to be delivered.

Enjoy your week!

Week 14 Deck the Halls!

November 25th - December 1st

It's finally here!  The Christmas season is officially upon us, despite what most major retailers want us to believe. This month you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor!  As events and celebrations commence you can relax knowing the bulk (if not all) of your preparation is done.  Bask in the glory of your preparedness as you watch friends, family, and co-workers exhibit signs of stress and fatigue (in all humility, of course).  Rejoice, because this week you get to...

Decorate your house and yard

Prepare all packages for mailing

Mail overseas cards

Plan a fun family night- break out your favorite holiday movie and some of those delicious cookies that are stashed in your freezer and enjoy!

Week 13

November 18th-24th

Thanksgiving week is here!  We've prepped, shopped, cooked, baked, and now we're ready for the holiday ahead.  No doubt there is much to do in preparation for Thanksgiving day.  Don't save it all for Wednesday night or Thursday morning.  Let's use the next few days to make the holiday enjoyable, not just for your guests, but for yourself.

Get everything out for Thanksgiving- table linens, centerpiece items, etc.

Prepare what can be ahead of time.  Even chopping some onions ahead of time can help your meal preparation go faster.  Consider trying these make ahead mashed potatoes to help cut down on your food preparation on Thursday. Also, be realistic, is it necessary to bake cornbread from scratch for your dressing?  While your grandmother might notice, your other guests probably will not. :-)

Check your ingredients and jot down anything you are missing.  Don't forget to consider breakfast Thanksgiving day and the day after.  Make sure you've got some cereal or frozen waffles on hand to make it easier on you. Try to avoid shopping Wednesday evening at all cost!

Clean & stock your bathrooms and first aid kit- especially if you've got kids coming over.  It's always handy to have extra band aids on hand if the little ones will be running around.

Wednesday- Use a freezer meal, buy a bagged salad at the store

Deadline week- if your homemade gifts/crafts are not finished, put them away until next year and plan on purchasing gifts.  Let yourself off the hook and be realistic.

Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Week 12

November 11th-17th

We are coming into the home stretch.  With only 11 short days until Thanksgiving, we will soon find ourselves tying up those loose ends and seeing the payoff for all of our hard work.  Let's finish strong!

Make a batch of holiday goodies- This will be the last one.  If there's a special holiday treat you haven't made, but have been wanting to, this is your chance to do it.  After this week, your holiday baking will be complete!

Make 1 freezer meal- This will also be your final freezer meal.  Make a note on your calendar to use one of your freezer meals next Wednesday.

But at least one gift- Next Friday launches the official holiday shopping season. Purchase as many gifts as you can this week to beat the crowds.

Wrap and label gifts

Finish any home made crafts or gifts

Make place cards for Thanksgiving

Clean all serving dishes

Check and clean linens

Work on centerpiece if necessary

Make a 3x5 card for each dish- what goes in it, when it can be filled, & silverware needed.  Tape them to the appropriate dish. This is especially helpful if you will have extra hands in your kitchen.  It's difficult to finish last minute meal preparations with countless questions from guests willing to help but unsure of what to do.  This one step will make delegating much easier!

Finalize your Thankgiving shopping list- don't just work off your recipes.  Remember to add things like coffee creamer, butter, and other "extras".  Also, plan ahead for your Thanksgiving breakfast.  Buy some bagels or muffins to make your morning simple.

Week 11

November 4th-10th

I joked the other day about the fact that I went to bed on Halloween and woke up on Christmas.  But this is indeed how I feel.  On November 1st, I ventured out to my favorite box store to see what kinds of discounts I could find on their Halloween clearance and was disappointed to find that most of the Halloween goodies had already been replaced by wreaths, trees, wrapping paper, and other assorted Christmas items.  Around here we recognize and rejoice in the fact that there is a holiday between Halloween and Christmas and it will not get swept away in the Christmas frenzy.  We've already been preparing for Christmas so we do not need to feel part of the sudden rush to get ready in less than 2 months. We get to enjoy Thanksgiving!  Let's get to it...

Make one batch of holiday goodies-unless you are confident that you have enough.  If you're on the fence, make an extra batch.  You can always give more away.  But it's better to have too much than not enough...at least in my book.

Make one freezer meal- we are about to wrap this process up and start enjoying these meals.  If you've run out of ideas, make a pot of soup or grab a ready-made meal from Costco that you can stash in your freezer.

Purchase at least 1 gift- Hopefully you are making some headway on this.  If you've gotten behind, now is the time to hit it hard before the December rush.  Make November your chance to catch up and get ahead if possible.

Wrap & label any gifts you have purchased

Review and revise your Thanksgiving menu

Plan your table setting and centerpiece

Reserve or purchase any items that need to be borrowed or replaced

Purchase, clean, or iron holiday clothing

Finish addressing your Christmas cards

Send out your invites for Thanksgiving if you haven't already

Make appointments for your flu vaccinations- if your family regularly gets flu vaccines, get them taken care of as soon as possible to help avoid illness during the holiday season.  Also, stock up on vitamins as well as cold medicines and other over the counter medications.  Make sure you have tissues on hand too!