I'm a little panicked about Christmas this year. I'm going to be super busy with some work-related projects during the first two weeks in December, and will be pretty much MIA. I'm trying to prepare myself for the holidays so I don't have a panic attack come Dec. 15th. What are you ladies doing NOW to prepare for the holidays?

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well i'm down to my kids and the inlaws so that is not so bad so i plan on getting a couple gifts a week until christmas to cut out some stress. plus i personally just need to realize that it does not have to be perfect. also i'm cutting back my baking to just a couple things and leaving it at that... i think i make it stressful on myself and that its not so much the holiday.

We just drew names for dh's side of the family. Also, I sat down with my mom and we made a list of what we had for the kids and what they would like or need. I feel very organized!

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I am starting out at the beginning with Flyladys holiday journal. Now if I could only get my printer to print it out. I will probably have to make my own journal. And I am doing the holiday missions. I will not be stressed this year.

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flyladys journal??? I'm new and wonder what this is, could you send me a link??? Holidays are very stressful for me and I'd love any tips I can get!!!

Thanks!

I wrote a list of names that we need to give gifts too and saved it in a Word program. Then, I saved the shortcut on my screen for easy access. Then, I wrote down some gift ideas for each person.

When I find a gift for that person I cross out that person's name by writing down what I got them. I have a few people completed on the list, but still have several to go.
I am hoping that this will keep it in front of me and on my mind so that I do not wait till last minute like I ALWAYS do. So far, I am farther along then I ever have been this early in the game.

I am kind of hoping for some good deals on Black Friday.

1. I'm going to have my Christmas cards and letters ready to go on the day after
Christmas.

2. I looked at my Christmas list today, and I have to get 5 gift cards and two birthday
presents (December birthdays).

3. I'm going to make a Christmas trail mix for DS's teachers. I used to make gifts for
everyone from the principal to the parapros, but not this year!

4. Rather than make gingerbread houses, I'm going to buy the pre-fab ones. DS and I
will still go to the bulk bins to pick out our candy decorations.

Luckily, we don't celebrate Christmas with my family until the 27th, so that gives us a bit of a breather to get some things done if something was forgotten!

Mar

1. We've pretty much finished up our Christmas letter. All I have to add is stuff that happens from here until Christmas, which is pretty much going to be about the twins unless something else happens.

2. We are done with Christmas shopping. we shop through out the year to get good deals on things that we know certain people like

3 We have printed out all of our Christmas letter envelopes and stamped them.

4 I bought all of the stocking stuffers for my hubby and kids- even the twins stockings are set!

That's about it as far as I've gotten. For us, nothing else can really be done yet-

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We have drawn names on DH's side of the family for a few years, and I asked that we draw names at our 4th of July party so that we would all have time to pick out something really nice (and maybe get more for the $50 we are allotted!). Everyone has said that it has worked out so much better than drawing them at Thanksgiving, like they used to. I have had all of our Christmas presents bought since the end of September.

Other than that, we are doing Christmas Eve and presents at their (MIL & FIL's) house, and Christmas morning at my parents' house - that hopefully will appease my mother, who called and chewed out my MIL the day after Christmas last year because we had to leave her house at noon to spend time with DH's family. They do not get along at all.

The fact that nobody will be fighting is all the simplifying that I need this year!

Threw away my Christmas recipient list again (taking it back down to our nuclear family and a couple gift baskets) - we incurred a good bit of debt this summer and don't have the free flowing cash to apply to getting everyone something this year. If I can squeeze it, we'll get something for our parents.

Wrote down what I'm getting DH (one of the things is a new/replacement wedding band) and DS. Finalizing things to go in my holiday baskets. I wanted to spread my wings and give a little more this year, but we'll be lucky to have our own little Christmas and we haven't given to extended family in 4 years, so I don't think it'll break their heart to have it the same way again this year.

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