Gift Closet Guide: Get Organized for Frugal Gifts and Giving!

Gift Closet Guide
   September 29, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

We should all have a friend like my friend Joyce. No matter what the occasion, she comes up with the perfect gift--even at short notice.

Her wrapped packages are lavish and lovely, her cards are sweet and well-chosen--and she does it on a budget and without last-minute dashes to the shopping mall. Her secret?

A gift closet.

It's a concept we love here at Organized Christmas: a dedicated space in the household to store gift items, gift wrap and cards. A gift closet holds a stockpile of gift items and everything needed to wrap and present them.    Read More >>

Master Gift List: A Holiday Shopper's Best Friend

Printable gift list
   September 24, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

Every family has one: a gift-giver of extraordinary flair and creativity. Year after year, this paragon finds just the right gift, large or small, for every friend and relation, and all without breaking the bank.

Her “just because” offerings are tiny jewels, she’s hip to the latest teen trends—and she never, ever hears the double-barbed response, “Oh, you shouldn't have--you really shouldn’t have!”

What’s her secret? A master gift list.    Read More >>

Santa Savings: Make A Holiday Budget

Christmas holiday budget
   September 23, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

For many families, Christmas comes not once a year, but lingers on for months! Credit card bills arrive shortly after season’s end, not to be paid off until the following summer. Nearly two-thirds of American families don't know the true cost of their own Christmas celebration--and if they did, they'd be shocked. That much ... for a single day?

Fight the seasonal spending spree with the financial tool of choice: a Christmas budget. Try these ideas to create--and keep!--a holiday budget to save money on Christmas.    Read More >>

Schedule Smart for Stress-Free Holidays

schedule tips for the holiday season
   September 15, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

When you think about Christmas from a few weeks away, there’s a luxurious feeling of “plenty of time”, but as December draws near, the season’s pace quickens exponentially. Where did the time go?

Time takes on a slippery quality as the holiday season approaches.

Being proactive--and early--saves time and stress as the season's pace quickens.

Take major action against the seasonal time crunch with a pre-season scheduling session. The goal: to arrange for all those little appointments that slip the mind so easily.    Read More >>

You've Been BOOed! Halloween BOO Poem and Signs

Printable Halloween Boo
   September 12, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

They're popping up in a neighborhood near you: "We've Been BOOed!" signs that fly from house to house. First one neighbor, then another ... and then it's your house! What's behind it all?

You've been BOOed! Welcome to the wonderful world of Halloween BOO-ing!

Sometimes called "Ghosting" or "the Phantom", the Halloween BOO is an Autumn take on "Secret Santa" or May baskets.

Usually seen in neighborhoods--but sometimes in the workplace--BOO-ing is a friendly tradition for Halloween fun. Will your neighborhood be next?    Read More >>

Simplify Your Holidays With A Christmas Calendar

Make a Christmas calendar
   September 8, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

Ask any mother of young children: time pressure creates a unique stressor during the Christmas season. Holiday events, school functions and holiday parties crowd December days; service projects, travel and worship activities double.

To keep holiday stress at bay, a calendar is a must-have tool for an organized Christmas. Even if you never rely on a family calendar the other eleven months of the year, December's busy days call for a dedicated calendar for smooth sailing.    Read More >>

Before The Season: Focus On Holiday Values

Focus Holiday Values
   September 2, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

What do you really want for Christmas? Our ideas may differ in the details, but most of us want much the same thing: a seasonal celebration focused on faith, family and friends.

We want the excitement of the season without the disruption that too often comes with it. We want to draw closer to those around us, not to be thrust apart by hectic schedules. We want to enjoy as well as to prepare, and to keep the Christmas season in a manner that is joyous and spiritually centered.    Read More >>

Get Organized: Make a Christmas Planner

Planner for the holidays
   August 28, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

As we get ready for Christmas, we’ll be making lists (and checking them a lot more than twice!), holding discussions with spouses, children and parents, and drawing up a holiday budget. Too often, we record our plans piecemeal, consigning them to a confused clutter of scrawled envelopes, jotted notes and cryptic calendar entries—none of which make it to the shopping center with us when it’s time to buy gifts.

Organized people keep the results of their work in a central place: a Christmas planner.

Easy to make and easier to use, a Christmas planner cuts through holiday clutter and keeps planning on track. Home to lists and recipes, calendars and gift ideas, this simple tool is the architect and source of a serene celebration.

Try these ideas to create and use a Christmas planner: your personal guide to an organized Christmas.    Read More >>

Holiday Grand Plan Calendar and Checklists

Holiday Grand Plan 2019
Free printable holiday planner for an organized Christmas

Ready to get organized for Christmas with the Holiday Grand Plan? Our whole-house Christmas organizing plan kicks off on Sunday, September 1!

Print these Holiday Grand Plan 2019 calendar pages to prepare for the holiday season with the Web's oldest Christmas organizing plan. Week by week the Holiday Grand Plan will take you closer to your goal: a clean and organized home for Christmas.    Read More >>

Make-Ahead Holiday Gift: Melt-and-Pour Soap

Melt and Pour Soap
   August 21, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

You've seen them everywhere from crafts fairs to bath boutiques: pretty handmade gift soaps. Clear and colorful or rich with natural additives for beautiful skin, they're a welcome holiday gift.

Best of all, they're easy to make using melt-and-pour soap. Heated in the microwave, clear or opaque glycerin soap base is combined with colorants and fragrances, then poured into molds to harden. When cool, soaps pop right out of the molds, ready to use.

Follow the soap-making tips and soap starter projects linked below to help you master this squeaky-clean craft.

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