Holiday Planner: 5 easy steps

Start the new year off with a plan to celebrate family and loved ones! Create your own holiday binder so that generous space is created for family milestones. With a centralized plan, traditions can be remembered and future ideas can be saved. Use your binder in the weeks leading up to, during, and following a holiday.

1. Buy a 3", 3-ring binder and 10 subject index tab system--or larger. Zip lock binder baggies are helpful for loose recipes and notes, too.
2. Label your index tabs in sequential order. I start with the church new year of Advent, but do what works for you. Try Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Valentines, Easter, Pentecost, Birthday, Gifts, Seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall).
3. Make a basic outline for each holiday (traditions, favorite foods, etc.). Re-use templates that help you plan ahead. Always make extra copies for next holiday!
4. During the holiday, check your plan and make adaptations as needed.
5. After the holiday, make notes of what worked, what didn't work, and if there is something you hope to add next year. Even a sticky note is a helpful memory jog 365 days from now!

Book Review: Simplify Your Holidays, Marcia Ramsland

While the last 8 weeks of holiday season are fresh in your memory, check out Simplify Your Holidays, by Marcia Ramsland. Find it on amazon.com for as little as $3.65, used. This system helps me remember details from year to year, plus offers flexible templates and customized plans. A bit of feedback:

AUTHOR: Ramsland is my home-making hero. I re-read her books for focused simplifying and practical organizing. Her website is helpful and streamlined.

FORMAT: Impractical because this is an odd, medium-sized, 3-ring binder. The rings in the original binding were quickly broken. Transferring the contents to my large, holiday binder was an easy solution. This lets me easily slip lists, copied templates, and annual updates into the binder chapters.

CONTENT: The thoughts are practical and simple to use. The templates are worth the price of the book, as there are four separate organization plans from which to choose. Pick what works for you this year, and you still have a solid game plan. Focusing your holiday vision into practical terms is a true life-saver.

MY FAVORITE: The templates! Can be copied, scanned, or edited. 

THE CATCH: The binding bugs me! Impractical.