holiday planner freebie!

 I love planners! I love to feel organized, and there is nothing like having all your thoughts, ideas, and to-do's listed on paper for you make sure you are keeping on top of things.  Being organized is especially important around a busy time of year like the holidays! I thought about using a notebook, but wanted to make it more fun and personalized. I decided to come up with a planner that could be re-used year after year.  

I have created each item as its own file, and this way you can print as many as you need of each section.  You can also keep printing them out and re-using them each year.  The nine sections include: 

• a budget planner to make sure you don't over do it on gifts and decorations
• a holiday supply checklist to keep track of decorations and wrapping supplies you need to stock up on for the season.
• a gift-giving list to keep track of all your gift ideas
• a shopping planner to keep track of stores you want to hit up on Black Friday as well as the sites you want to visit on Cyber Monday
• a Christmas card list with names and addresses
• a holiday events planner for keeping track of parties, activities for the kids, etc.
• a holiday menu planner to organize your holiday meal menu and their preparation times so you know when to start preparing each item.
• a grocery list to write down all the items you need to purchase for your holiday meal or any edible gifts you want to make
• a holiday to-do list that counts down all the things that need to be done leading up to Christmas such as decorating, ordering Christmas cards, wrapping gifts, etc.  The to-do list is my favorite part of the planner and it has three pages of tasks that start counting 8 weeks before Christmas.  I know some don't like to think about Christmas before Halloween or even Thanksgiving, but personally I think it is comforting to know that you are staying on top of all the things that need to be done during the busy holiday season.  This way you are not scrambling about the last couple weeks before Christmas - battling crowds at the mall or staying up late wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve.  I think that this time of year should be about family and spending time together, and by being organized you can do a little bit here and there and still have plenty of time to enjoy the season with your loved ones.

I've also included a blank monthly calendar that you can use along with the to-do list to make sure you get everything done when you want to!

There is a coordinated cover page that tops it all off! It has room to write the year above the words "holiday planner".

There are many different ways to organize your planner once you have printed all the pages.  I was going to buy a three-ring binder that has a clear pocket on the front to put the cover in.  I was going to, until I saw this cute binder and I had to have it: 

I just put the cover page as the first page inside the binder:

You can organize the sections however you want, and some might want to include divider tabs for each section in their binder.  You can keep it as simple or make it as creative as you want!  And the best part is, you are well on your way to being organized this holiday season!