Thinking about Christmas can be both exhilarating and exhausting. Thinking of all there is to do, buy, bake, cook, wrap, plan, organize, clean, and the list goes on. It is no wonder many think about the holiday season with dread and forget the true meaning of why we celebrate.

Whether you are filled with magical wonder or dread, one thing is for certain: ready or not, Christmas is going to happen.

Christmas is just a day. It isn’t the day that is the problem, it’s the expectations around the day that create the problems in our minds. Let’s change that! Let’s make the holidays something you look forward to and even enjoy. I want you to have the kind of Christmas where you celebrate the things truly important to you.

Prep for the Christmas project

So let’s get started with four quick pre-project assignments:

1. Assignment: Get the book Get Yourself Organized for Christmas and read through page 20.

• Find out what activities are important to your family or friends that you celebrate Christmas with.
• Figure out what is important to you.

2. Assignment: Grab a friend.

Get yourself that accountability partner who has been saying the same thing as you, “This year, I’m going to be ready for Christmas BEFORE Christmas Eve.” We know, she is your friend because she too struggles and is not afraid to admit that. Join with them because together we will tackle this as a team.

Now, the next part is crucial. Decide how you are going to check in with each other and how often. Make it a commitment. Make a plan. You know the saying “either you are failing to plan or planning to fail.” Just decide that is okay to ‘fail’ but don’t not plan because then you will fail. Since we know there is no such thing as perfect we can deal with a little failure or falling off the bandwagon, but what we don’t want to do is set ourselves up for failure by having no plan.

3. Assignment: Find a used three-ring binder or purchase a new one.

Getting organized for Christmas doesn’t happen overnight. But following the steps in Get Yourself Organized for Christmas gets you on your way in 22 days. One item you will need to keep all your Christmas information together is a binder. It doesn’t have to be new. It can be one your children used at school or one you used before.

It should be a three-ring binder, and if you want a special cover, you will need one with a plastic covering with a slit to insert a printed sheet. These look nice, but are not necessary. I recommend the two inch binders so you have lots of room for everything. If you have to purchase, pick one up at your local Walmart, Target or dollar stores.

Supplies:  three-ring binder, pens, My Holiday Binder Cover

4. Assignment: Designate an area, one place for all of your wrapping supplies. Think of it as your Christmas headquarters! Maybe it’s your bedroom, an office or a closet. Wherever it is, clean up the area and make space to store the extra supplies. You can locate your Christmas headquarters anywhere – even the dining table?! No judgments here! I don’t think kids care that much, do you?

Share your thoughts: 

If you could wave a magic wand, what would you eliminate about Christmas? What activities would you be sure to keep? Who will be your accountability partner?  What is your plan for accountability?

If you haven’t purchased Get Yourself Organized for Christmas yet, click here!