Holiday Chaos to Holiday Fun using a Binder

Ready or not Thanksgiving, Christmas and even New Years is on it’s way.  Are you already feeling a little stressed with all that you need to accomplish? The to do, to buy and to go lists can quickly overwhelm our mom world but if we break it down over the next  weeks of Christmas not only will it become less overwhelming but we will also begin to enjoy the upcoming holidays with less stress and more time to enjoy.

Every Tuesday for the next 7 weeks  we  will  post that weeks to do list, projects etc.  to lessen your stress and take Holiday Chaos to Holiday fun.

Let’s kick off with Week#1 getting ready and organized for the upcoming holidays with our

Christmas/Holiday planner binder :

Was it ten or fifteen years ago that I began carrying around my first Christmas/Holiday planner binder binder? When doesn’t really matter , what matters is that our family Holidays and Christmas have become organized , less stressful and more memorable then before I created our Christmas binder.  Are you ready to de-stress, organize and create more family memories during the upcoming holiday season ?

I Use my  holiday planner binder to keep track each year of who I bought for, what I gave them, what traditions we celebrated, activities we participated in, recipes we used and even pictures of how I decorate my home. It has been the one resource that simplifies  the holidays  in my home.

Creating your own  Christmas/Holiday planner binder  is simple with the free printable I just discovered over at Thirty Hand Made Days. Her version is a mini holiday binder where I have used a full size binder but after seeing her fun printables and the idea of lugging around a smaller binder seems so much easier, I just might be creating a new binder this year to use for the next ten or fifteen years .

Click here to see how Thirty Hand Made Days created her version of a mini binder and download all the her free printables.

Step #1 To get started: First, purchase a mini binder or full size binder , a set of dividers, pencil pouch to hold coupons, gift cards  and a package of clear page protectors.

Step #2 Decide what sections in your binder you will need. Here is a list of potential sections and things to include in your Holiday planner binder.

• Monthly calendars to keep track of events and tasks to be done.

• Events and activity information

• Service projects to participate in during the season

• Lists of to-do’s

• Gift lists (past years and present)

• Holiday card list

• Menus and holiday recipes

• Cookie/baking recipes

• Celebration/tradition ideas

• Craft projects

• Decorating ideas

• Pictures of your home decorated

• Coupons

Remember to create sections that work for your Christmas/holiday planning, these are just ideas.

Step #3 – Put your binder together by placing all your dividers, printables and pencil pouch inside. Place recipes and pictures inside protective sheets. Add your own touches to it.

Now get planning and enjoy a merry organized Christmas and holiday season.