12 months of christmas

the 12 month of Christmas is just a fun easy way to take a few min's each month and plan for the holiday so that when December comes we can spend more time with family enjoying the season and less time running around trying to pull everything together at the last min!
One thing I would like to suggest is that you buy a gift card or two every month this can be a ten dollar starbuck card or a 50 dollar card to a store like target or department store of your choice, this will do a few things it will give you a fast gift in the event you forgot someone a starbucks card or a card to a local restaurant make a nice holiday outing for you or you and a child or friend and whats better then not having to worry about money since you "planned" for it! this way you are also spreading out the money and you can try to have a cash holiday! I buy target cards through the year then when I go Christmas shopping I use those, it helps me pay for the holiday all year long and if I have any left I pop them in my sons stocking or hide them away for a treat to myself later! every month along with the challenges I will try to add little bits of info on how I plan for the holidays to make them easier on myself and let it be a holiday about family not rushing around having to much stress and to little sleep, I started doing this the year my 5th grader told me he didn't remember a Christmas I was not sick for! it worked I have not been sick for a Christmas since then and my 5th grader is now 19!! soooooooo here is your first challenge a few little things you can do to get ready and stay organized!

this months challenge has a few steps all are easy!!

1. find a box with a top make sure it has its own spot in your house not in the way but not so out of the way you have to work to get to it! mark that box Christmas 2010 now anything you buy make have list for the holiday goes in that box decorate it if you want that's your organization station make it your own and do not loose it!

2. I learned this one from my mother years ago - get yourself an address book that's just for Christmas cards this way you can add new addresses through the year and you can write on the book you can post the years you sent them a card the years you got cards from someone note if one comes back and you need to find a new address or if someone passes you can mark the year! in your new book write all the names of people you want to send cards to now add the addresses there is a good chance some are missing an address and now you have 11 months to find them your not going nuts on dec 20 looking for it! this book is very handy as you get information through the year add it!! you will be amazed how many times you will change/update/refer to this book over the next 11 months!

3. make a list of people you buy gifts for we know some will change and you can guess on some stuff like noting coworkers 5 - this will give you an idea of what you need who you are shopping for who you are crafting for etc this list will change however the bulk of it will remain the same!

4. go look at paper to make your Christmas cards! if you shop well you can find it on sale this time of the year and only you and I will know if its this or last years paper and really I don't care it could be from 1990 for all I care I just get happy to get cards! find one you like and buy it have a design in mind and get as much as you need for all your cards!

that's it for Jan all so very easy!! I want to know when you do it and I want to see what you do! I am going to get my box all decorated and in its own spot and then I will post it so you can all see what I did! oh and your paper and your address book and your gift list store them in the box - when you buy gift cards put them in there to!!! that way everything is in one spot!! (see susan you won't loose it this way!)

I promise promise to blog more and mattress doesn't know it but he promises to update my pictures more ofter!