May 2008 Rudolph Club Meeting

Welcome to the Rudolph Club: your once-a-month meeting to simplify your holidays and get organized for Christmas, 2008!

At OrganizedChristmas.Com, we know that the holiday season can be fast and furious. Solution? Take a day once each month throughout the year to plan and prepare for a more-organized holiday season.

On the 25th of each month, we'll bring simple assignments and easy tips to try now for a simpler, more joyous season for 2008. Over the year, you'll tackle planning and preparations to make the season lighter, brighter and less stressful come December.

Click the read more link below to get organized for the holiday season:

May Rudolph Club Assignment: Catalog Tips!

Summer is coming--but summer catalogs are already here. Crammed with bargains, gift ideas and inspiration, the season's mail order catalogs can be a true ally in the quest for a stress-free and organized holiday season.

Set aside summer issues of catalogs for these purposes:

Save Money!

Catalog/Internet Order TrackerSummer is a slow time for catalog vendors, so they court business with clearance sales. Look for substantial price cuts on gift items, seasonal clothing and holiday decor items. Yes, that Pottery Barn reindeer is the same one you saw last November, but at a much lower price--and gift items like holiday sweatshirts are marked down to rock bottom during summer catalog sales.

Check gift lists and buy while prices--like the season--are hot. Use a free printable Catalog Order Tracker form to record purchases.

Control the impulse to overbuy ("Gosh, these leather key chains from Levenger are only $4? I'll buy 5 of them!") by planning and recording gift giving on a your Master Gift List form.

For more tips for catalog shopping, see our article, The Three "C"s of Catalog Shopping

Gift Ideas and Decor Inspiration!

Even if you don't buy, catalogs can be a great source of gift ideas and inspiration for homemade gifts. Tear as you read catalogs, and drop the pages into a file folders marked "Gift Ideas", "Decor" or "Gifts to Make".

Inspiration can come from many quarters. Floral catalogs show models for swags and centerpieces that are easy to duplicate with silk stems from the craft store. Spotted in a public radio catalog: easy-to-copy felt puzzle mats that can be rolled up to store and protect puzzles-in-progress. Add a puzzle and some snacks for an easy family gift.

(We did one, too! Check Make A Puzzle Mat for instructions for this family-friendly craft.)

You may spot one-of-a-kind gift ideas for that hard-to-buy-for family member. (CEO's favorite gift from Christmas, 2001, a "Dogs Playing Poker" shirt for poker-loving husband, Steve, came from a summer catalog.) Food gifts and their presentation spark ideas for creating and packaging your own kitchen gifts.

Summer catalogs are a bonanza for an organized holiday planner. Tear 'em out to save time, money and mental energy for Christmas, 2008!

May Rudolph Club Reminders:

Craft check! Have you planned craft gifts and decor items? Summer vacations, kid sports practices and lazy summer evenings are a great time to add crafted gifts to your stash, so haul out April's Gifts to Make printable planner form and get crafting.