3 Ways To Slip Into The Holiday Season!

I love to bring you tips and tools that just make life easier! This blog post is one of them.  I’m a member of Marcia Ramsland’s, aka The Organizing Pro, ezine  “Simplify My Life”.  She dishes out extremely helpful advice, and particularly around Christmas she does a fabulous job helping us destress.  If you’re not a member of her ezine, I highly encourage you to head on over to www.organizingpro.com immediately! Check out her time-saving resources just in time for the holidays.

Enjoy today’s post to help you “ease into the holiday season”!

3 Tips to Ease into the Holiday Season

While Thanksgiving is just around the corner, there are three things you can do ahead of time to get a headstart on Christmas without commercializing the holiday season too soon. That’s the way to smooth out holidays and get ahead of the game.

Step #1. Make a Gift List and Use the Same Form Year after year.
List the closest people to you at the top right and on down the page. Number each name and make columns to include: Person’s Name, Gift Ideas, $ Budget, Actual Gift and from Where.  Divide the list of names by 3 and that’s the number of people to shop and wrap for each week, or weekend.

(Or use the Master Gift List in Simplify Your Holidays.)

Step #2. Choose one style Holiday Card.
Simplify each year by picking one style so you won’t have to wonder who you sent what style to next year with the leftover cards! Pick up stamps and address the cards to get ahead.  Update your address list on the computer or your address book. Consider moving some of your emial friend to an email Greeting List titles “Christmas 2009.” Email friends appreciate the guilt-free greeting, you get to skip the post office crowds, and it helps trim the budget.

Step #3. Mark Shopping Dates and Vacation Dates.
This year most kids are out of school December 18, which is the whole week before Christmas and the week after.  Be sure to finish your shopping and wrapping before kids are on school break so you can enjoy them. Help them learn to give by taking them to a Dollar Store or to make gifts.  Gift giving can either simplify or complicate your life. Keep it simple as you shop at fewer stores or online for a gift theme this year: jewlery for women, sporting event tickets for men, and CD/DVDs for teens, and favorite toy request for kids.