Christmas Binder (my secret to staying organized this time of year)

Right after I had our first baby, I went to a Christmas organization class.  The two women who taught the class each had an organizational binder.  They used this to keep themselves organized during the busiest time of year.

I loved that idea.

Along with that idea, they taught me about the four gifts.

We started doing this right away.

Something to wear,

Something to read,

Something you want,

and something you need.

These two treasures have made Christmas around here seem less stressful.  I will always be thankful for that little class.

After the class, and implementing the four gifts; I decided I needed my own binder. 

We were extremely poor students at the time and I couldn’t afford to buy the ones that were out on the market. 

I designed my own.  I have used a binder for 10 years now.

That binder has evolved over the years.

Although, it has evolved; my need for it has not.

This is my current binder.

My favorite part about this is that I have included what is most important to me during the holidays.  It states our Christmas objectives.

I fill it up with all the useful information that I need.

It has a place for Thanksgiving info, and Christmas info.

I bust this thing out mid-October and start making plans.

Every holiday thought that crosses my mind gets jotted down in this little beauty.

My kids also don’t know it exists.  Their gifts are written down in here. It is my secret weapon.  Literally, my SECRET.

It is home to recipes.

Lists.

Decoration ideas.

Addresses.  When I receive a card with a new address, I add it to this list.  It saves me from locating addresses each year.

Pockets for extra cards, tags,stamps, and receipts.

and much much more…

I am happy to share this useful tool with you.

Remember that this is a FREE download.  Please do not sell this.   It is for personal use only. 

Because it is FREE; please remember that I can’t change colors, or add anything to it.  You just have to take it as is.

You can download the pages you like here.

Here are a few more favorites:

(This is your cover page for all your holiday decorating ideas.  Cute, I know.)

Don’t worry! This is just a sample.  This is not all… there are many more pages. 

Remember when putting together your own binder:

The pages with Santa are your cover pages.  They list what pages to put behind these pages.  They essentially divide your binder in to categories.

I put my Thanksgiving stuff at the beginning.

I love having one place for all my holiday recipes. That means I put them all in this one binder.  Then I don’t have to hunt for them during the holidays.

I also write down any gift ideas that I may come up with during the year.

I also print out a calendar for November and December and put this at the front of the binder.  This is the perfect place to write down parties and activities for the holidays.

The menu lists and food idea lists are probably my favorite.  They really help with entertaining.

It is also handy to look back at the previous year for ideas. 

I hope this helps you as much as it has helped me over the years.

ENJOY!!