The Holiday Planner

Doing what I love to do (baking cookies and having people over and crafting and....) is only possible around a full-time job because I plan for it.

The holidays are no different.

Like many people, I work Thanksgiving weekend. I work up up until 6pm Christmas Eve. I do not have the luxury to dillydally with the planning.

Here's how I plan to make it work:

Basically, AmberLee at giverslog.com created this holiday planner and I used her template to create my own to-do list. (Be sure to wander around her site for some fan-stinking-tastic homemade gift ideas.)

I used AmberLee's categories (shop-make-do-celebrate) as a way to stay organized in my planning but to also not burn out. Let's face it: crying at midnight two days before Christmas because the bobbin won't load properly and none of your well-intentioned homemade presents are finished does not a Happy Holidays make.

• I don't do a lot of shopping because we're celebrating a homemade Christmas once again this year. To combat any itches to drive around in bad weather and spend money, I've spread out the items I do need to buy over several weeks.
• Making, making, making. This category is by far the most time-consuming and the most important to organize. I tend to start with HUGE intentions and then (quickly?) whittle my list down to the most meaningful and necessary gifts.
• The "Do" category gives me clear objectives for the week without pushing me into a panic over everything I need to get finished in the next eight weeks.
• The very best part of this time of year is the celebration! I add to this category all of the fun things I want to do that, really, I won't do unless I make a point to schedule.

How do you best prepare for the holidays? Are you like my brilliant mother-in-law who prepares year-round or you more of the shop-Christmas-Eve type person? What's on your Must Do list for this year?