Christmas Countdown Day 3: Set Up a Holiday Calendar!

What's the number-one way to cut Christmas stress? Watch the calendar!

Keeping track of commitments, events and activities keeps the season real. If you know where the family must go, it's easier to get there--and to say "No!" to too many obligations.

Does a family calendar guide your holiday plans? We make it easy to keep track of celebrations, events and obligations with free printable calendar forms.

to do today ... create a holiday calendar

Seldom acknowledged but often felt, time pressure creates a unique stressor during the holiday season. Take back your time--and find calm amidst the chaos--with a family holiday calendar.

The eyes have it! Find or make pretty calendar pages for the months of November and December, or print free calendars from the OrganizedChristmas.Com forms library.

Keeping the calendar in view is the first step to scheduling sanity, so post pages publicly, near the telephone. You’ll be armed with a clear view of your schedule before the room mother rings up.

Dump the data! Next, ransack your desk for club bulletins, school newsletters, fund-raiser invitations and concert programs. Block out any travel plans, and note every seasonal commitment, large or small, in bright-colored ink on the Christmas calendars.

Larger families find it helpful to color-code events by family member; transportation issues are simpler to solve when the rainbow tells you who must be where each day.

As the season progresses, open your mail near the Christmas calendar. Note activities on the calendar as invitations arrive, and you’ll never again miss an open house or the Festival of Trees.

Smart scheduling! More than simply recording dates and events, a family holiday calendar operates as a good check against over-commitment. As the calendar brings you face-to-face with competing holiday events, let excitement be tempered with reality.

Accept the guidance your Christmas calendar will provide. A December Saturday with evening invitations signals that parents of young children need to call and reserve a baby-sitter. If you’re directing the Nativity Play on Sunday, decline the invitation to provide twelve dozen cookies for the school Choir Sing the following day.

When in doubt, under-schedule. Yes, every bazaar and party and concert celebrates the season in a special way, but stay grounded! Three parties in one evening? Tempting as it is to try to drop in all three, that's a sure recipe for Christmas stress. Are children double-booked for big events on two consecutive weekend days? Time to blow the whistle for some family time out.

Practice saying, "No!" But if you must say, "Yes!” a Christmas calendar gives you the information you need to say so intelligently.

You'll save tears. You'll save stress. You'll keep the meaning, rhythm and pace of a joyous holiday, not a hurried one. Do less ... and enjoy it more as you get ready for Christmas!

to print today ...

Holiday Calendars

today's recipe ...

Sand Art Brownies are easy to make and oh, so pretty! Layered cocoa, brown sugar, chocolate chips and pecans make this jar gift recipe extra-special.

Welcome a neighbor, thank a teacher or give a homemade Christmas gift with this layered cookie-in-a-jar recipe.

Our recipe makes 12 gift jars at a cost approximately $3 per jar, and includes free printable gift tags to make assembling your Sand Art Brownies a breeze!

Sand Art Brownies