Christmas Planner (6)

Are you still with me?

The start of my planning can be found here with links to the next ones within the post and at the bottom of this one.
You will have a Christmas planner with

• A calendar 
• Planner page with menu 
• Ideas sheet 
• Stationary needs 
• Gift list 
• Gift shopping list 
• Book or list of Card recipients 
• Christmas letter 

This is the time I do the recheck of lists etc.

Is the gift list sorted?
Is the size, colour, style, brand written down?
Is the budget set and realistic to stick to?
Is the shopping list for non-perishables completed?

I then focus on the normal things of any month but especially for December/January. In New Zealand most of the country closes up from about 23rd December to after the first week of January as it is not only Christmas but the summer holiday season for most people. That means that business' can be closed and even doctors, dentists etc run on skeleton staff while others like ourselves have a break.
This means that the paying of bills or having appointments are virtually impossible. The computers in these places will spit out bills or cancel subscriptions automatically so you need to tend to what needs doing.

For this reason I work out what bills need paying until mid January and what income there will be to cover these and keep that separate. In New Zealand its school summer holidays and the new year will start at the end of January so that will mean buying uniforms stationary etc so this expense needs to kept in mind as well.

I will also check what medications maybe running low and make sure they are stocked up on as well as other things that may be hard to get or we may forget.
Even more so if we are gong to be away the last thing you want is to suddenly remember in the middle of your holiday that you forgot to cancel the paper, pay a bill, miss an appointment or find the warrant on your car ran out on the 3rd of January.

So yes I make another list for all those things that need checking. I have a standard list that I use each year and either cross off what is not needed this year or set a date for it to be sorted by.

Ideas are:

• Doctor appointments
• Prescriptions ordered
• Hair appointment
• Car warrant
• Date leaving
• Date returning
• Mail collected
• Paper sorted
• Visitors arriving
• Visitors leaving
• Bills posted by

Once this check off list is sorted or as you do it write dates on the calendar in your Christmas planner. I also spend time finishing the Christmas cards especially the overseas ones and others even if they are not being posted right now.

This is also a great time to go over that list of ideas you had of the things you like (and don't) about Christmas. You have already made some changes so now it's time to look at what you haven't addressed and do so.
Remember this is about you and your family, not what others expect. You little family is making their own traditions. If it seems to hard then think about perhaps not dong it this year and making an agreement that you will next year but only if it is something that you feel is important to keep your relationship spared any harsh treatment.
E.g. If you are expected at Grandma's for afternoon tea every Christmas then you may have to say you will promise to do so every second year if it is not something the rest of your own little family want to do.
Just realize if you later feel like something was missing this Christmas and realize it was "Afternoon tea at Grandma's" you will have to make it part of your wish for your family traditions and talk it through with your own little family.

So you now have an 'Important Dates' list in your planner and your tasks are to check and complete lists ready to go shopping and cards ready for posting.

Christmas Planner
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

Day 7 is here