{31 Days to a Stress-Free Christmas} Day 1~Making a List & Checking it Twice

The Christmas season is my most favorite time of the year. I love listening to Christmas Music, finding the perfect gifts, Advent celebrations, and  decorating the house with our 64, yes 64, Christmas trees! What I don't love about the season is.....STRESS! I have learned the hard way(aka: making my family miserable) that planning ahead makes our Christmas season full of joyful memories and eliminates feeling rushed and full of regret. I pray that these next "31"days of 
ideas will help get you off and running to...'the most wonderful time of the year....

Making a list

October 1st reminds me to do the 1st thing. I spend a few minutes making a list of all the people that we will be getting Christmas gifts for. I include everyone from the obvious immediate family members to good family friends. Then, I add special people like those who teach my children piano or dance and our Pastor. This year I am expanding my list to include a few people whom we would like to know that we appreciate them, like my mail carrier and our garbage men.  For some of us, this list may be frighteningly long but

 Don't Panic!

Seeing the list in black and white really helps me to decide if I need to add or decrease  the list. I can't tell you how much money I have spent on last minute-oops I forgot them- gifts. It can be a real budget buster. 

I make my lists on a spreadsheet and save it in my computer. I like the columns because I can add names, sizes, specific gift ideas, etc. I also make a note if I want hand-make a gift for that person. In the last two columns, I add the things I have purchased for each person and how much I've spent thus far. 

After my "Master" list is created I cut and paste the list of names into a list that I can print out on card stock cut small enough to carry in my purse. (This year, I have a smart phone so I will add my names to a list created on the phone.) This helps me to not only take advantage of sales I come across but to remember who I have yet to buy for. I update my master list regularly, adding my purchases. Then I cross off the names on my pocket size list when gifts have been purchased. 

Let the Shopping begin...