1. Plan Ahead. With one major holiday behind us, today would be a good day to plan and schedule everything you want to accomplish through the month. It's time to calendar everything: shopping, decorating, sending cards, banking, etc. Make sure the deadlines work with your personal schedule. Confirm arrangements for any overnight guests and set dates for invitations if you are hosting a holiday party. Having a visual of a calendar with the month December and a few of your ideas also helps keep things organized.

 

 

2. Make a list, check it twice.Keep lists and "to do" notes in one place. As you go through your notes you won't drop a task! Here are few list ideas: gift lists, budget lists, meal planning lists, holiday card lists, lists to tell you where you stashed your gifts, event lists and activity lists.

 

3. Involve Others. Planning, organizing, decorating, shopping, and other holiday can be a challenge for the most organized among us! Involving family members and friends can make holiday planning fun and less of a burden. Trade responsibilities: If you like to bake but don't enjoy wrapping gifts, ask a friend to wrap all the presents while you bake all the goodies. It's win-win in so many ways!

 

4. Storing decorative lights usually ends in a tangled mess. The best, least expensive way to organize lights is to cut a piece of cardboard and wrap the lights around it. The cutouts should be cut to fit inside of a plastic bin. Just wrap, label and you are done!

 

5. Ribbon and twine dispenser. Keep yarn, ribbon, or twine in big funnels mounted at the wrapping station.

 

 

6. The Best Host is always prepared for unexpected (but welcome!) guests. Keep handy a couple of wrapped boxes of chocolate for unplanned gift exchanges. If you don't want to give chocolate, candles and soaps are nice alternatives.

 

 

7. Preparing for overnight guests. Simple things like leaving travel size toiletries in a basket can make visitors feel at home and welcome. Also, stash a couple of books and magazines on a nightstand adds a nice touch.

 

 

8. Honor your body. Don't use the holidays as an excuse to step away from your healthy eating plan. Think weight maintenance rather than weight loss (or gain!). Eat a healthy snack or dinner before attending an evening party to keep tempting offers off your plate. Offer to bring a vegetable platter with hummus or low-fat dip to the party. Volunteer to be the designated driver - it'll keep you from consuming calorie-filled alcoholic beverages.

 

 

9. Keep a holiday journal. A holiday journal is a great place to keep notes about all of your planning, ideas about gift-giving, new recipes, holiday card lists, etc. Everything you need to start each holiday season can be gathered in one handy little book. Your holiday journal will be the first thing you bring out next year, before the first decoration comes out of the box!

 

10. Parties. If you love to entertain but don't have time to cook, host a potluck at your place instead! If the desire is more about bringing good friends together, than preparing a major feast, let everyone participate in creating a special celebration by bringing a dish of their favorite holiday fare! You'll have a wonderfully eclectic table filled with an array of yummy food! Be sure to have a supply of disposable containers so your guest can go home with leftovers!