Christmas Planning: A Guide


If you're interested in planning ahead for Christmas, there are lots of Christmas Planning websites out there.  But how do you know which plan is right for you?  Rest easy!  I've listed many of the popular plans here and broken them down for you to help you choose. 

 Countdown to Christmas

This is a great resource by my friend and co-conspirator in all things Christmas, Eileen.  She's taken the best information from many Christmas planning ideas and combined them into one easy-to follow guide.
  • Weekly detailed missions that break down all your holiday chores into smaller, more manageable tasks
  • Lots of helpful tips and suggestions for streamlining your holiday preparations
  • Includes Thanksgiving!
Cost:
Free 

 Length of Plan:
15 Weeks 

 Begins:
Last week of August
Link:


Christmas Countdown
A basic, easy-to-follow guide to preparing for the holidays.  This is an ideal plan if you are new to Christmas planning.  This plan covers preparations such as gift-buying, decorating, and holiday baking, but it does not cover house cleaning.
  • Website has a calendar and printable calendars, worksheets, and lists for your binder.
  • Links to helpful articles and other resources online.
Cost:
Free 

Length of Plan:
Six Weeks 

Begins:
Late October
Link:

Composing Christmas
This plan was written by Krisann Blair, the Christmas Coach.  She has broken down Christmas preparation into five categories so that you can focus on different areas during your Christmas preparations.
  • Free Yahoo discussion group with year-round activity
  • Free newsletter
  • Website has other resources such as recipes and Krisann's blog.
Cost: 
Yahoo group is free
Candy Cane Club is $25 for one year; $100 for a lifetime membership
There are several e-books available for purchase.

Length of Plan:
Five Weeks

Begins:
No set date
Link:
http://christmasorganizing.com/composing-christmas


FLYLady's Holiday Cruise
The FLYLady's Holiday Cruise is based on a simple concept-- pretend that you are leaving for a three week cruise on December 1st, so that you must get all your holiday planning done before then.  FLYLady's Holiday Cruise is a great plan for beginners and is extremely customizable.  It does not cover house cleaning, but if you are a member of FLYLady's message group, the house cleaning will be addressed apart from the Holiday Cruise missions.
  • Includes a downloadable Holiday Control Journal to help you plan.
  • Daily Cruising Missions delivered to your inbox.
  • Video Cruising Missions available on the website.
  • Website also includes recipes, clutter-free gift ideas, and testimonials from other Flybabies.
Cost:
Free

Length of Plan:
Three Months


Begins:
Early October

Link:

The Holiday Grand Plan
The Holiday Grand Plan guides you through a top-to-bottom cleaning of your house, buying and wrapping gifts, decorating, and even party planning.  This is a very detailed and intense holiday planner, and probably not the best one for beginners.  However it does accomplish a great deal of both holiday preparation, home organizing, and home cleaning.  Not for the faint of heart!
  • Website has printable lists, dividers, and calendars to completely organize your Christmas binder.  The printables are all decorative and coordinate the look of your binder, which makes me very happy.
  • Website has weekly assignments to help keep you on track.
  • Website also has sections with craft ideas, recipes, and tips.
Cost:
Free 

Length of Plan:
18 Weeks 

Begins:
Late August

Link:
http://christmas.organizedhome.com/holiday-grand-plan

House and Holidays Plan
The Houseworks Holiday Plan is a comprehensive guide to home organization and holiday planning.  Like the Holiday Grand Plan, it involves a total house cleaning, but instead of focusing on rooms it breaks the house down into areas (similar to FLYLady's Zones).    
  • Website has printable pages for everything you need.  Dividers, calendar, lists, planners, you name it. 
  • In addition to lists and dividers, the HHP printables include some fun things like letters from Santa and seating charts (for party planning) along with some things that are useful year-round, like pantry and freezer inventories.
  • Website has weekly book assignments as well as links to helpful articles online.
  • Website also has sections with craft ideas, recipes, and tips.
Cost:
Free

Length of Plan:
18 Weeks 

Begins:
Late August

Link:
http://christmas.organizedhome.com/house-holidays-plan
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