Your Christmas Notebook
Your Christmas Organizing Notebook is the foundation of your organization plan for the holiday season.
Writing lists and ideas down in a notebook may seem like a large task, but it can easily be overcome by breaking the steps down!
In this post we will go through the task of putting together the first phase of your notebook. Come, take the leap, and be on your way to a more organized Christmas, one small step at a time. By creating a notebook, you will have everything at your fingertips and you can continuously reference it for reminders and directions concerning your holiday plans. Since most people do not have identical lives, your notebook will be unique to you and your family. Throughout the Christmas Organizing site, you will be given directions allowing you to personalize your notebook and create a holiday organizing road map to help you celebrate your own special holiday season.
Gather/Purchase Your Supplies
The first thing to do is gather the supplies you will need for your Christmas Organizing Notebook. Look around your home first to see what you have and make a list of the items you need to purchase.
3-ring binder
3-hole punch
Dividers for 3 ring binder
Slash pocket folders (if you did not purchase dividers with pockets)
Page protectors for keeping loose items (example: recipe or craft ideas from magazines, etc.)
Notebook paper
Zippered pouch to hold pens, pencils and other loose items like 0receipts from gifts you purchase,
Calendar for the whole year (can be a store bought one, or printed from a computer program)
Pages designed with photo pockets on them (usually 4 to a page) where you can put recipe cards and/or address cards
Colored Pencils (for marking on your calendar)
Business size envelopes (#10), with a Christmas theme.
Now that you have gathered all your supplies it is time to start assembling your notebook. The first step is to mark on your calendar time each day over the next week to work on your Christmas Organizing Notebook assembly. Some steps are longer than others so as you work you may want to combine steps. Do not overwhelm yourself though, block out a realistic amount of time each day until you have your notebook assembled.
Create Your Notebook Tabs
When purchasing tab dividers for your notebook consider ones that are easy to change as you progress with your notebook. The decision is up to you for what tabs you use based on what areas are the most important to you. It would be unfair of me to decide what your tabs are for you without your input. Everyone’s notebook will be different because everyone has their own traditions and celebrations during the holiday season. You can use your Christmas Journaling responses to help you set up your tabs. Think of all the things you do at Christmas and make a tab for each of them. Personally, I have found that the more divisions I have, even within the category itself, the better I work because it is a smaller goal, making it easier to tackle and not this “big project” that can be discouraging.
Create Your Christmas Organizing Cover
Set aside time to have the kids or other family member’s help you make a sheet to slip into your notebook front cover. It is fun to get everyone involved to help with this fun activity. Then you can tell them about the notebook and how you want them to be part of the planning!
Ideas for making your own covers:
Consider using wrapping paper and stickers
Find a family Christmas picture to use as part of your cover
Use picture of your house (photograph or drawing by the kids) at Christmas
Be creative and ask the family to help so they feel a part of this process. Remember, it is their Christmas season too!