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Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Christmas Binder (my secret to staying organized this time of year)

Right after I had our first baby, I went to a Christmas organization class.  The two women who taught the class each had an organizational binder.  They used this to keep themselves organized during the busiest time of year.

I loved that idea.

Along with that idea, they taught me about the four gifts.

We started doing this right away.

Something to wear,

Something to read,

Something you want,

and something you need.

These two treasures have made Christmas around here seem less stressful.  I will always be thankful for that little class.

After the class, and implementing the four gifts; I decided I needed my own binder. 

We were extremely poor students at the time and I couldn’t afford to buy the ones that were out on the market. 

I designed my own.  I have used a binder for 10 years now.

That binder has evolved over the years.

Although, it has evolved; my need for it has not.

This is my current binder.

christmas planner-0423

My favorite part about this is that I have included what is most important to me during the holidays.  It states our Christmas objectives.

Cover Page copy

I fill it up with all the useful information that I need.

It has a place for Thanksgiving info, and Christmas info.

Thanksgiving prep list copy

I bust this thing out mid-October and start making plans.

Every holiday thought that crosses my mind gets jotted down in this little beauty.

to do list copy

My kids also don’t know it exists.  Their gifts are written down in here. It is my secret weapon.  Literally, my SECRET.

Gift list immediate family mine copy

It is home to recipes.

christmas planner-0425

Lists.

christmas planner-0428

Decoration ideas.

christmas planner-0424

Addresses.  When I receive a card with a new address, I add it to this list.  It saves me from locating addresses each year.

christmas planner-0427

Pockets for extra cards, tags,stamps, and receipts.

christmas planner-0430

and much much more…

I am happy to share this useful tool with you.

Remember that this is a FREE download.  Please do not sell this.   It is for personal use only. 

Because it is FREE; please remember that I can’t change colors, or add anything to it.  You just have to take it as is.

You can download the pages you like here.

Here are a few more favorites:

Deck the halls copy

(This is your cover page for all your holiday decorating ideas.  Cute, I know.)

Gift list extended mine his family to share

GIft list for neighbors and friends to share

Shopping list Christmas copy

Holiday Recipes and Menu copy

Christmas breakfast menu copy

Christmas Eve Menu copy

Thanksgiving prep list 2

Don’t worry! This is just a sample.  This is not all… there are many more pages. 

Remember when putting together your own binder:

The pages with Santa are your cover pages.  They list what pages to put behind these pages.  They essentially divide your binder in to categories.

I put my Thanksgiving stuff at the beginning.

I love having one place for all my holiday recipes. That means I put them all in this one binder.  Then I don’t have to hunt for them during the holidays.

I also write down any gift ideas that I may come up with during the year.

I also print out a calendar for November and December and put this at the front of the binder.  This is the perfect place to write down parties and activities for the holidays.

The menu lists and food idea lists are probably my favorite.  They really help with entertaining.

It is also handy to look back at the previous year for ideas. 

I hope this helps you as much as it has helped me over the years.

ENJOY!!

15 comments:

  1. I love this idea, I'd love to do this when we have more kids and family to come visit for the holidays. Thanks for sharing such awesome wisdom!

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  2. Thanks for sharing! This is awesome! Could I ask you a silly question? :) ...

    Would you mind telling me the names of the fonts you used? I am interested in the cursive one and the blocky one like on your gift list page.

    Thanks!!!

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  3. love this idea especially since I have several lists going on at any given moment

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  4. Very cute binder! Good ideas too.

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  5. such a cute cover and great idea for keeping everything in one spot... love how you have pages of things you like added between protected sleeves... thanks for sharing!

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  6. so cool, maybe it will help me more organized next year...I'm glad i have organized friends like you!

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  7. I have to agree with Marji, My first thought was holy tolito WHAT A MARVELOUS idea, I didn't even know they had a class to help one organize and enjoy the holiday season more fully! THANK YOU THANK YOU, for sharing and I can't wait to start my own! Awesome! Oh how much storage data does your photobucket give you when you pay the $2.99? Thanks again!

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  8. Literally just made this and added a few pages of my own! It's concealed in an old binder from college - the kids will never guess! I can't wait to be more organized next holiday season!! Thanks SO much!! (I would love to see your pages next year and any modifications you come up with that work for your family!)

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  9. Literally just made this and added a few pages of my own! It's concealed in an old binder from college - the kids will never guess! I can't wait to be more organized next holiday season!! Thanks SO much!! (I would love to see your pages next year and any modifications you come up with that work for your family!)

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  10. This is beautiful and it is very generous of you to share it. I'm Jewish so I won't be using your actual pages, but I will definitely be using all of your ideas to make my own binder. Chanukah starts the night before Thanksgiving this year, so I will need to get started SOON! Julie W.

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  12. Thanks for sharing! This is awesome!

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  13. OK random question ;) what is the tradition with the square of paper in the stocking? Such a great binder & ideas - I'm printing and ready to tackle the holidays!!!

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  14. Thank you for sharing, this is a wonderful idea. The links aren't working for the downloads. Am I too late?

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