on one hand, i,
like you, i suspect,
loathe when it
begins to look a lot
like christmas
even before hallowe'en.
on the other hand,
i much prefer to
get a jump on the holidays earlier
rather than
have the holidays
jumping up & down on my skull later.
which is how i became
a christmas binder person.
yep. each year about this time
i begin putting my binder together,
complete with tabbed & pocketed dividers
[this week | priorities | gifts | home |
eats | cards | traditions | new year]
& printable forms to complete,
courtesy of my christmas binder guru,
cynthia ewer of organizedchristmas.com.
i discovered the "oc" about five years ago,
& began following ewer's christmas countdown plan.
the countdown begins six weeks before december 1,
& ends on 12.1, in order to give you the whole
month of december to just enjoy the holiday season
[or, in my case, to give me the whole
month of december to complete the countdown stuff
i haven't quite gotten around to just yet].
over the years, i've shaped the countdown
to fit my family's holiday
[gift closet inventory? yes.
"black friday" holiday sales planner? uh, no.],
but i still follow the basic countdown.
each week has a theme -
get organized | reality check | gifts & giving |
get cooking | decorate | celebrate -
with accompanying checklists, printable forms
& tip-filled, thought-provoking articles to read.
the site is delightfully comprehensive,
which is one of my favorite things about it -
stuff doesn't slip through the cracks of
i-can't-remember-everything-with-these-
jingle-bells-ringing-in-my-ears ...
& my other favorite thing about
organizedchristmas.com?
it's *f.r.e.e.*
yep, checklists, forms, articles -
the whole holiday tamale
is available for the sampling,
&, if you likey, then help yourself
to the santa-fied organizational smorgasbord.
so, how do you keep it all organized during
the most wonderful time of the year?
& if your answer is some sort of snort
of preposterocity, then you might want to
join me, &
embrace the binder.
think pink:
paul ecke ranch & north carolina state university's horticulture department are working together to develop a pink poinsettia which will bloom earlier in the season - in october rather than december - to help honor & promote breast-cancer awareness month. click here to read all about it.
image sources: the container store, nature & flower wallpaper
5 comments:
Oh, you know I'm with you. But I have my own spreadsheets and notebooks of my own making. And on Monday, after the garage sale, Spurs ga,e & neighborhood Halloween partu here at the house, it all comes out. Organizers unite!
hi, di ... not all of us can originate organizational systems like you do! but honestly, mine - though clearly based upon the oc countdown - become more & more personalized to us & our holiday each year! :)
Ha! You make it sound like something! It's just copying the same list every year. And not nearly as organized as yours, I guarantee ;-)
I had no idea! But I invented my own system years ago. It's fairly simple, just a folder with a calendar, gift lists (kept on the computer, then printed out in parts as needed), and all the receipts. I am very big on returns. My rule is, if you don't like it or it doesn't fit, take it back! This has worked for me forever; I just didn't know other people did anything like it!
@skm - whatever works!! :)
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