It's beginning to look alot like....

Okay, so maybe it's not starting to look like Christmas, but this morning it was cold enough.  I'm one of those people that is never happy no matter what the weather is.  But, like it or not Christmas will be here before we know it.  So, I've decided it's time to start getting organized.   It seems like every year no matter how much I try to be organized I'm still wrapping presents in my Mom and Dad's bedroom as my sisters and their families arrive.  This year I vow it will be different.  I'm going to run Christmas (or at least the planning of it) like I would run any other project.

My first step was to create a binder (I love binders), and get started filling it with everything I'm going to need.  So far, these are the tabs I have:

• Crafts - projects I'm putting together, I would list them, but my family is super nosey
• Cookies - I filled this with the recipes, my Grandma's sugar cookies, the chocolate cherry cookies my husband likes.  I also make a list of all the places and people I need to take/send cookies to, this helps me get a handle on how many of each I need to make.
• Gifts - this is easy, I keep a spreadsheet on my computer and print out a updated list every couple of weeks as I mark things off.  I have alot of pages from magazines and catalogs in there right now, it's a great place to keep all those gift ideas.
• Cards - I have our address list in a spreadsheet, so I mark who is getting a homemade card, etc ; print it out and add it to the binder.  I also keep a column for each year, who I sent to, and who we received from, you don't send one 3 years in a row, you are off the list.  I also keep a mock-up of the card
• Shopping List - two lists, grocery, and gifts this section is complete with sizes for all the kiddos
• Packing List - we are never home for Christmas, so I start a list of things that need to be packed, I also start a big Rubbermaid container to add things to as they are ready to go.

This is one of last year's cards...

I know that I will need more, but honestly, that is all I could think of in September!

Later~
Cyn