Week 5 – Celebrate! Week

So we’re onto week 5 – Celebrate! Week.

All the Christmas presents except a few small things are bought or ordered. The presents that are here are all wrapped and labelled. The tree & decorations are out and ready to be put up on 1st December. All my Christmas cards are done – just need to post them.

This week I’ll be:

• Mail all cards by December 10.
• Begin a family Advent observance. Use an Advent wreath, calendar or daily family activity to underscore your spiritual values.
• Cultivate a calm and quiet home during the height of the season. Turn the television off, and substitute reading one evening each week.
• Complete interior and exterior decorating. As a last touch, decorate the front door as a symbol that you are ready to celebrate!

All I’ll need to do between now & and Christmas is wrap presents as they arrive, buy some Christmas food & make the foodie presents. I still can’t get over how organised I am this year.

Week 4 - Decorating Week 2009

Wow we’re in week 4 already! and I feel way more organised than last year (see the present post – I still can’t believe that)

Anyways we’re onto Decorating week. This week I’ll be

• Buying Christmas cards and getting them ready to post.
• Inspect and inventory decorations. Record results on holiday decoration inventory. Check light strands for cracked or broken bulbs. Add needed replacements to the master shopping list.  (already bought some new lights)
• Wash Christmas tree (we’ve got a swallows nest in the garage and there is bird poop on the top section of the tree – not enough is ruined to warrant buying a new tree)
• look at getting a few new decorations
• wrap bought presents

Our tree won’t go up til 1st December but if I get it all out and organised it will make life easier.

For those interested in decorating on a budget check out this page.

And if you’re interested in Christmas related scrapping – pop on over to Roll 2 Create on 1st December… we’re running a Countdown to Christmas but more about that later ;)

Updating my Holiday’s In Hand progress – I’m gonna make a 8x8 Hybrid album and I think I’ll be hand making the cover for my album from chippie – it’s my project for the week :)

Holidays In Hand Days 2 - 4

I’m loving this class so far. The prompt pages are GORGEOUS (You’ll get to see them soon – printing them out & working on my presentation for them over the weekend)

The prompt pages have space for Things to Do & Things to Make

Here’s some of the things I’ll be adding to my Things to Do list

• Put up the Christmas tree.
• Go out somewhere special for dinner
• Celebrate the longest night of the year (December 21) by lighting extra candles or luminarias
• Make cards (ok I know I said I wasn’t going to make cards but I’m gonna make a couple for a few family members)
• Make homemade apple pie
• Decorate holiday cookies
• Address your holiday cards together
• Slip a little note of holiday love into a backpack, laptop case, lunchbox, or set it on a pillow
• Get in touch--call, write a letter, email, send a card--with a friend or relative whom you haven't heard from in a long time.

and some of the things I’ll be making

• some of these town house gift boxes
• an advent calendar
• this time capsule ornament
• chocolate truffles
• white christmas
• chocolate peppermint brownies (cause these look super yummy)

Will also be working on the Album framework over the weekend but more about that later ;)

Gifts

Would you believe me if I told you December hasn’t even started and I have nearly all my Christmas shopping done! It’s unheard of. Seriously, I never have my shopping nearly finished this early. I’m usually still buying things the pay before Christmas & still wrapping on Christmas Eve. Not this year!

All I have to do is order part of my pressie from hubby, order the presents for my bro & his better half and my SIL & her hubby and buy presents for my mum, my FIL and one nephew. Everyone else is ordered or bought (or getting something foodie – I’ll be making stuff closer to Christmas)

Think I’ll be making chocolate truffles, white christmas and who knows what else lol something Christmassy.

Holidays In Hand

So I’m taking part in another class, but this one has a decided Christmas feel so I’m sharing it here.

The class – Jessica Sprague’s Holiday’s in Hand.

So we’re on day one and we have 3 assignments.

Assignment one is to write down my goals for Christmas this year (2009). So what are my goals for Christmas this year?

• Be more organised. (working on this one :) )
• Enjoy Christmas day with family.
• Not stress.
• Enjoy the last Christmas of being just me & hubby.

Assignment two is to make a commitment of 20 minutes a day in December. I think we can do that. I’ll be blogging here daily so will keep you all up to date with how I’m going.

Assignment 3 is organise. checking out Organised Christmas. Hmm think we’re already doing that so we’re a step ahead there woot!!

Looking forward to the album that I’ll have at the end of this class and I’m hoping it gives me ideas for next year and doing an album for bub’s first Christmas.

fallen a bit behind

still haven’t bought Christmas cards. found wrapping paper (shouldn’t need to buy more). have nearly finalised gift list. have ordered two presents (will order some more on Wednesday). the only crafty gifts this year will be food.

speaking of food, yesterday was the start of week 4 – Get Cooking week. since I usually don’t do much cooking for Christmas day I’ll probably use this week to catch up.

I’ve also joined a free class with Jessica Sprague so I’ll be blogging bout that shortly here as well.

Week 3 2009 – Gifts & Giving Week

Wow we’re three weeks into our organising and I actually feel organised. I mean I haven’t started my Christmas cards yet but that is ok. I think I need to give away the idea of making cards each year (most wouldn’t get kept anyways) and just buy some nice ones.
So this week I will buy my Christmas cards and get them ready to go.
Now we’re onto Gifts & Giving Week.
This week I want to:

• finalise our master gift list
• buy Christmas cards & Christmas stamps
• dig out wrapping paper (& gift tags) & buy more if needed
• start on the Christmas shopping

So far this week

I’ve worked on our holiday budget and printed out this week’s printables.

I’ve also started the holiday housework planner & started on the master shopping list. not sure about the food part of the list yet as I’m not sure bout the food I’ll be cooking for pressies yet.

Haven’t started on Christmas cards as yet but I think I might sit down tonight and work on them.

Week 2 (2009) – Reality Check Week

1st November 2009

This week sees us undertaking a reality check.

To Do This Week:

• Divide Christmas card list into five groups. Write and address one group this week.
• Make a holiday budget.
• Set up a holiday housework plan. 
• Print a master shopping list, to organize shopping excursions through the holiday season.
• Schedule family haircut appointments.

To Buy This Week:

• Begin Christmas gift shopping. Divide the master gift list into five sections. Purchase gifts for one-fifth of the List entries. Wrap gifts as they are purchased. Keep a running total of gift expenditures and enter on the holiday budget form.

Today I’ve:

• printed out the weekly checklist
• printed the master shopping list and started adding gifts to it
• worked out the design for my Christmas cards
• put the newly printed pages in my planner