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 >>

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 >>

Summer's in full swing--and baby, it's hot outside! Need a diversion? "Christmas in July" can be the perfect time to look ahead to the holiday season! But not everyone agrees. Many people resist the idea of starting early for an organized Christmas.

So why begin Christmas organizing early--and without the benefit of holiday sentiment? Here are six reasons why starting now makes sense:    Read More >>