Organized Christmas

What do you really want for Christmas? Our ideas may differ in the details, but most of us want much the same thing: a seasonal celebration focused on faith, family and friends. 

We want the excitement of the season without the disruption that too often comes with it. We want to draw closer to those around us, not to be thrust apart by hectic schedules. We want to enjoy as well as to prepare, and to keep the Christmas season in a manner that is joyous and spiritually centered. 

Will you follow the Christmas Countdown this year? Beginning Sunday, October 24, we'll prepare for the holiday season with daily messages, weekly assignments, encouragement and fun. This six-week get-organized program will take you to the start of the holiday season, prepared and ready for Christmas.

Your road map begins with the Countdown calendar. Setting out each week's focus, it'll keep you motivated and on track to an organized Christmas as we work the Countdown together.

What's the Christmas Countdown?

Christmas. The holidays. Chances are, those words send happy images straight to your heart!

Children's faces, breathless with wonder and delight. Shining lights on a beautifully trimmed Christmas tree. 

Delicious scents of fresh cookies and hot cider. A bounty of gifts, wrapped and beribboned. The cheerful hubbub of family members gathered from far-flung homes.

Time to kick off the Christmas Countdown? It's Get Organized Week. Get the assignments, printables and inspiration to get ready for Christmas.

As we get ready for Christmas, we’ll be making lists (and checking them a lot more than twice!), holding discussions with spouses, children and parents, and drawing up a holiday budget. 

Too often, we record our plans piecemeal, consigning them to a confused clutter of scrawled envelopes, jotted notes and cryptic calendar entries—none of which make it to the shopping center with us when it’s time to buy gifts.

Ask any mother of young children: time pressure creates a unique stressor during the Christmas season.  Holiday events, school functions and holiday parties crowd December days; service projects, travel and worship activities double.  

To keep holiday stress at bay, a calendar is a must-have tool for an organized Christmas.  Even if you never rely on a family calendar the other eleven months of the year, December's busy days call for a dedicated calendar for smooth sailing.

What is the difference between the Holiday Grand Plan and the House and Holidays Plan ... and which one should I follow?

This question has been asked about our Christmas organizing plans quite a bit in recent days. Time to take a stab at answering it.

Right off the bat, I'd say there's no "should" about which plan to follow. Which plan, no plan, custom plan--it's all up to your personal choice. But I did want to write about what the differences are, so that each one of us can make the right choice for ourselves.