House & Holidays Plan Week 17: Celebration Week

he height of the season is here, so draw close to family and friends in your clean and organized home. Time to celebrate with the House and Holidays Plan!

With the holiday upon us, only minimum maintenance is needed in the house.

Holiday prep centers on those few chores needed to make a smooth move between Christmas and the New Year. 

This Week's Focus: Celebration

Christmas is here! Time to enjoy the fruits of your labors: a clean home and an organized holiday season. 

Make the most of it--and the year's other 51 weeks--by sticking to the minimum maintenance needed to keep the household humming.

This Week's Household Checklist

• Stick to minimum maintenance. With the house deep-cleaned and organized over the past 16 weeks, it'll need only minimum maintenance this week.
• Enjoy the fruits of your labor You've done well these last weeks. Enjoy the season with friends and family--in your clean and organized home! 

This Week's Holiday Prep Checklist

• Give cameras and camcorders a last-minute charge. This week, plug them in nightly, like cellphones, so you won't miss a moment.
• Put together any "assembly required" toys. Nothing sours the holiday mood more than peering at papers and wielding a wrench the night before Christmas. Start early to keep the sparkle in the season.
• Check and organize stocking stuffers. Place each family member's gifts in a separate grocery sack so Santa can get a good night's rest on the 24th. Hang sacks on clothes hangers in the back of a closet to keep stuffers from prying eyes.
• Journal holiday memories. Continue to jot down the high points of the season on a holiday memories journal. Even a short record will be treasured in a year ... or ten.
• Keep tabs on Christmas collections. If you collect, you know the story: which Radko ornaments or Christmas Village decorations do you have, and which do you need? Do a quick inventory of Christmas collectibles, adding any new acquisitions to the list.
• Prepare for Christmas dinner. Set the table, arranging centerpiece, place-settings and serving dishes ahead of time. Sticky notes make it easy to know what goes where.
• Plan Christmas morning breakfast. The holiday will flow more smoothly with a menu plan, even for breakfast! What will you serve for Christmas breakfast? Consider a breakfast casserole or other alternative to an elaborate meal. Round it out with juice and pre-made sweet rolls for a festive--but easy--meal.