It's that time of year when I realize that Christmas is going to be here before I know it and that it is time to get organized. For the past eight years, I have been using my own creation of a Christmas gift book and while it is extremely simple, it has been a great solution for me to gather all my Christmas information and ideas into one place. I have often toyed with the idea of creating a "real" one in Excel, but it seems like other things have taken higher priority and that it never gets done. So I use the same general idea every year, but find I do tweak it a little each time I make it. All it takes is a half a sheet of cardstock and plain printer paper, both cut the long way. Fold it in half, staple and with a pen and ruler, I am ready to get organized. It doesn't take much time at all.
Each person in my family gets one page and I also include one for family gifts as well. I divide each page into sections that include: budget, gift ideas, what I bought, spent and if it is wrapped. This year I added stocking stuffers to each page, rather than a separate page for it. We'll see if that stays for next year.
I also have a page or two for misc gifts, teachers or neighbors, decorating ideas, party plans, etc.
Stick a pen on it and I'm ready to go. It fits in my purse and I have it ready when I go shopping or to jot down gift ideas when the inspiration hits. With eight years of books on hand, I can go back and see what I have done or given in years past. It also helps to be able to go back to the year before to see if there are any gift ideas I didn't use that could be used this year. It is really handy for helping me remember where I've hidden gifts, too. :) I store them with all of our Christmas books, so I can easily find them the next year. It is interesting to go through them and see how my kids interests have changed over the years. Part of our Christmas history, I guess.
Some years the books have been "fancier" than others. Lately they have been just plain, especially since I realized I'm the only one who sees it and do I really care that it is decorated? Not really.
I realize that this is a rather "old fashioned" idea, with all the electronic options around these days, I'm sure there is some App to download. But I like that it is tangible and really is a family Christmas journal that helps me to remember those Christmas' past.
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