Christmas 2013 Binder

Hello Everyone! I am excited to share with you my 2013 Christmas Binder.  You will notice that it looks very familiar to last years binder... that is because it is made by the same company.  I spent several hours looking around for new template and I could not find one that worked well for me so I reprinted parts of last years to use again for this year.

This year I went with a more muted theme of gray/black/red.  For some reason to me, it just screamed elegance and that is the theme I am aiming for with this Christmas:  Simple Elegance.

This year my binder had six tabs; however, they were a little different from last years. 

• Master Checklist
• Christmas Gifts
• Christmas Cards
• Party Planners
• Cleaning/Organizing
• Miscellaneous

In the front of the binder, I had my calendar for November and December that I have filled out with important information and events.  These include things like: birthdays, family gatherings, volunteer times and fun events happening in our area

Master Checklist

In this section I have the Master Checklist and the Master To-Do List.  I put these items in front because it will allow me to be as organized as possible and it will act as a friendly reminder of what I need to do and what is to come.  You will find that the Master Checklist goes as far back as September.  For me that seems a bit far to be preparing some things for Christmas, but for some people it works perfectly.  That is definitely a matter of preference.  I actually would give mad props to anyone who is that organized.  

Christmas Gifts

This section was dedicated entirely to gifts.  In this section I had the Budget Worksheet, Gift List, Shopping List, Gift Ideas Page, Handmade Gifts and Order Tracking Sheet.  I put all of these pages in one section because I felt in one way or another they were connected.  In my head, it makes the most sense to put the budget with the gifts because that is where the majority of your spending will be headed during the Holidays.  I also, once I order a gift or purchase a gift, put a copy of the receipt and shipping confirmation in the binder.  This allows for me to have quick access to all the gifts I have ordered and allows me to follow up quickly if necessary.

Christmas Cards

One of my very favorite parts of Christmas is sending and receiving Christmas cards.  Out of all of the tabs in this years binder, I spent time on this tab first because I just love them so much! The Christmas Cards tab has in it: Cards Worksheet, Address Book & Thank You Cards.   This year, Justin and I took advantage of a Groupon and bought 110 Christmas cards from Zazzle for $40.00.  I have used Zazzle in the past for Christmas cards and absolutely adore their stuff.  They are very high quality and the turnover time between ordering and delivery is very quick.  

Once our cards are ordered and on their way, I will be putting a copy of the receipt and delivery confirmation right in this tab to keep on file in case I have any issues with delivery or the actual product {highly doubtful}.  

 Party Planner

This tab is new from last year and I'm pretty excited to share it with you! Typically, Justin and I do not host a party for Christmas (unless it is an impromptu party) and it looks like this year might be the same, but I was able to use this section when I planned and hosted the First Annual Friendsgiving last weekend! It was so helpful to have something where I could keep all of my recipe and decoration ideas in one spot.

If you are looking for a quick way to manage a party, then this would be my first recommendation for a paper form to organize your planning.

Cleaning / Organizing

One of the things I liked about this planner is it gives you a pretty detailed list of things you should clean and/or organize during the holiday season.  Obviously if you are hosting a party, the first thing you are going to do is clean your house, so some of the items on the list seem fairly obvious.  However, some of them we not things I readily think about cleaning and or organizing.  I look forward to take some time and completing some of the things on this checklist.  

This tab has in it the Cleaning Checklist, Decor Inventory & Decor Storage.  Right now my decor inventory and decor storage pages are blank because I never got around to filling them out.  My goal is to fill out the Decor Inventory sheet while I put up the decorations, then fill out the Decor Storage sheet as I put them away.  This will give me a quick access point if I need to go looking for any Christmas items.

Miscellaneous

This last section was dedicated to things I had no idea where I where to put.  In this category I put the  Family Traditions & Baking Planner.  Because the majority of my family traditions revolve around baking of some kind, it made perfect sense for me to group these two items together.  I'm hoping this year we will get to try some new recipes that I have been pinning on Pinterest.  

 That is my 2013 Christmas Planner so far! It will be filled with receipts, recipes and other fun goodies as I get closer to Christmas! 

Do you want your very own Christmas Planner like this one? Check out Life Your Way's website for these pages and more! 

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Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these printables and the views and opinions expressed are my own.  I will not be receiving any payment for this post.