The Elf Blog

Christmas Countdown-Six Weks

Christmas Eve is only six weeks away!  Scary, isn't it?

· You should do some serious work on your cards this week.  Try to finish addressing them and, if possible, start writing messages in them.  If you haven’t done so yet, buy your Christmas stamps.

· Keep up with your crafting.

· Try to do a few hours of shopping this week, either in stores or online.

· If you are traveling over Christmas or New Year’s, finalize your travel plans.

· If you are planning a Christmas party, finalize your guest list.

· Buy all the non-perishables you need for Thanksgiving.

 

Keep plugging along.  Remember, it will all be worth it when you can relax on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Countdown -- 7 Weeks!

Christmas Eve is only seven weeks away and Thanksgiving is only three weeks away!  That means it's time to kick the preparations into high gear.

Here are this week's tasks:

• Begin developing your task schedule for the holiday season.  Put it right on your master calendar.  Write in dates for baking, decorating, writing cards, shopping, cooking, wrapping, crafting, etc.  Keep in mind that some tasks may need to be spread over several days.  For example, some doughs need time to rise, crafts need time to dry, etc.
• Identify areas in your house for various holiday activities: wrapping, gift storage, baking supplies, Thanksgiving staging, card writing.  If possible, keep these areas set until the task is completed.  If everything you need to work on cards is easily at hand, you can take 5 or 10 minutes to write a few notes, address some cards, etc. 
• If you have any presents that must ship overseas, you needs to buy them this week so they can ship before November 15th.

If you are hosting Thanksgiving, here are your tasks:

• Finalize your menu.
• Begin staging the dinner, getting china, serving pieces, table linens, etc. ready and gathered in a single accessible place.
• Create a detailed schedule for your preparation.  Place everything as early in the schedule as possible to reduce stress.  You can shop for non-perishables as early as this weekend.  You can polish silver and iron table linens now.  You can set the table the Monday before Thanksgiving.  Only leave to Thanksgiving morning those things that cannot be done in advance.  The best thing you can bring to the table is yourself, relaxed.
• If you like fresh turkeys, order yours now for pickup during Thanksgiving week.  If you use a frozen turkey, you can buy it when you'd like.  Also get a large plastic bucket and make room in the fridge so you can brine it.

From here on out, we'll be working hard to prepare.  Remember the goal: To look up on Christmas Eve and realize that everything is prepared and you have nothing to do except enjoy.

Christmas Countdown -- 8 Weeks

Thanksgiving is 4 weeks away.  Christmas Eve is 8 weeks away.  (Well, that takes care of scaring you all for Halloween!)

In the last weeks, we've done master scheduling, made lists, and played catch-up.  This week, we focus on taking stock:

• Take stock of your hostess items -- serving platters, fancy table linens, good china and silver, etc.  Does the silver need to be polished?  Do the linens need to be laundered or ironed or replaced?
• Take stock of your cooking and baking supplies.  Do you have enough cookie sheets?  Storage tins?  What cooking and baking basics do you have on hand:  broth, flour, nuts, sugar, vanila, almond extract, spices, baking powder, colored sugars, etc.?
• Take stock of your Christmas cards.  If you bought them in the after-Christmas sales last year, find them.  Make sure you have enough. Also, check your stock of address labels.  Holiday stamps are available at the post office, so you can pick them up at your convenience.
• Take stock of your wrapping supplies: paper, boxes, tissue, tape, ribbons, bows, and gift tags.
• Take stock of your decorations so you'll know if anything needs to be repaired or replaced.

By the end of the week, you should know where you stand so you'll be ready to move forward.  That's the goal.

Christmas Countdown -- 10 Weeks!

Christmas Eve is only 10 weeks away!  (I know.  I'm panicking a bit too.)

This week, let's focus on making lists. 

First, make a list of gift recipients.  If you have already bought some gifts, write down what you've bought.  You can also jot down any ideas you might have. You may want to color-code the gifts that will have to be shipped. 

Second, make a list of gifts you might like to receive.  Little ones can write their letters to Santa.

Third, finalize your CHristmas card list.

Fourth, if you will be throwing a party, draft your guest list and let folks know of the need to save the date.

Fifth, using your calendar, block out any existing engagements from THansgiving to Christmas:  family, work, religious, social.  Also, block out some rest time.  You'll need it.

Finally, if you make any gifts, make a list of the things you plan to make and the supplies you'll need.  Make sure you have all necessary supplies on hand or that you have a plan to get them!

Christmas Countdown -- Three Months To Go

Christmas Eve is three months from today.  That means it's time to kick the Christmas countdown into high gear. 

Within the next month, you need to complete the following tasks:

• Make your holiday travel arrangements.
• If you are throwing a party, let folks know to save the date.
• Update your Christmas card address list.
• Build your Christmas gift list.  You don't have to start shopping yet, but you should at least decide who you'll be shopping for.
• If you plan to make gifts or decorations, purchase all craft supplies and start work, if possible.
• Pull out your holiday recipe file and start narrowing down the ones you want to try.
• Make room in the cabinets, refrigerator, and freezer for the holiday surplus.
• Finalize your holiday budget and make sure you know where the money is coming from.  If you don't have enough saved, you need to reduce the budget.
• Stop buying things you don't absolutely need.  Put them on your Christmas list instead.

the sooner you start, the higher the chances that three months from today, you'll be cosily esconced in a chair, drinking hot cocoa, eating homemade cookies, and watching a Christmas movie -- not making a mad dash through the mall only to come home to defrost the turkey with a hair dryer before pulling an all-nighter to finish crafts and wrapping.

A Favorite Shopping Op

This weekend, I had the opportunity to shop in one of my favorite places for finding great deals on unique merchandise: the museum store. A few hours of browsing (after a bit of rest and refreshment in the cafe) and I combined Christmas shopping with some excellent exhibits.

Now, If you are going to a museum store, you need a strategy.  There will be lots of things that are uniteresting (logo pens and mousepads, boring mugs, T-shirts) or incredible overpriced (a $792 throw rug I passed on).  However, if you look carefully, you can find some excellent gifts.  Here are some of my great museum finds:

• Stationery:  Art museums tend to have gorgeous stationery -- often imported.  Especially nice are the journals and notebooks.  The prices are what you'd get at the local bookstore, but far more interesting designs.
• Things made in faraway countries:  Any museum with an ethnic perspective is likely to import beautiful pieces from abroad.  I've seen scarves, purses, decorative accessories, Chinese calligraphy sets, incense, etc. -- all at reasonable prices.
• Pieces you'll find nowhere else:  At the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, I saw a mortar and pestle, bowls, goblets, and tunblers made out of travertine (a beauiful type of stone).  All were usable pieces that were unique and well-priced.
• Toys and games that stretch children's imaginations: There is no place like a museum for children's gifts that go beyond the ordinary or that challenge children to use their imagination and creativity.  Much better than shooting aliens on a computer screen.

Every time you visit a museum, take afew minutes to stop by the gift shop.  You may find an unexpected treasure and the money you spend will help support the collection.  That's what I call win-win.

Sorry for the Absence

I spent the Fourth of July dealing with a family emergency, so I have no reports on cookouts or fireworks.

I did, however, manage to do some Christmas shopping over the last few days.  It's always nice to make progress on the list.  Hopefully, I'll get to some crafting toward the end of the month.

So, how did you all (the few of you who still read here!) celebrate the Fourth?

The Countdown Begins!

Christmas Eve is six months from today!  How is your planning going?

No need to stress quite yet, but here are a few things to think about:

Now is the perfect time to establish your holiday budget.  I like to plan everything from Halloween on (since I spend a lot on Halloween candy).  If you host Thanksgiving, that should be in the mix.  Same if you host a New Year's Open House or an Epiphany party.  The budget should include everything:  gifts, cards, postage, special clothes, wrapping paper, decorations, party costs, holiday meals, travel, etc. It's not a bad idea to add a 10% contingency, just in case. 

After you have established the budget, make sure it's realistic.  Can you actually save that much money?  Spreading the saving over several months certainly helps, but in the current economic situation it may not be feasible or wise.  So, look at ways to economize.  Talk with family and friends about setting limits on gifts.  Perhaps you can give a family gift rather than separate gifts to each member.  A group of friends can substitute a shared experience for a batch of gifts.  You can agree to make gifts or even (you'd better sit down for this) not give gifts at all.  If you striggle every year to buy a gift for someone, they may be happy to agree to a joint cessation of gift-giving.  You can send fewer cards.  You can decorate or entertain less elaborately. 

Look at what you'll need to do and plan accordingly.  The one thing you must not do (especially in this economy) is to rely on credit for your holiday budget.  If you don't have it, you don't spend it.  Simple as that.

Other things it's handy to think about now:

1) As summer weddings and moves (new graduates, moving when the kids get out of school, etc.) happen, update your card address list.  That way you don't spend half of December trying to remember if she changed her last name and if you can find the change of address card he sent.

2)  If you can decide your travel now, you can buy your tickets with maximum choice of seats and at great prices.  Some sites (like Orbitz) even offer price assurance, so if someone else gets the same flight cheaper, they'll refund the difference to you.  If the costs are high, consider travel insurance -- just in case.

3) If you plan to make some gifts (apart from baking), start planning now.  The lazy days of summer may be the best time to knit that sweater, make the jewelry, or compile the scrapbook.  Some things can only be done in the summer.  Take advantage of seasonal produce to make jam and pickles or can peaches and tomatoes.  A basket filled with your home preserves makes a lovely gift and brings the summer alive in the depths of winter.

4) Cleaning out closets and drawers is always a good occupation.  More storage space and a tidier living environment make the holidays easier.

5) If you are vacationing this summer, keep your eye out for gifts. 

What are you doing to prepare for the holiday?

Taking Time for the Little Things

Summer schedules are often a bit slower, leaving you with extra little pockets of time.  It's important to use those pockets of time to lay the groundwork to take care of the little things:

• Update your address book and calendar so that you won't miss birthdays, anniversaries, and the like.
• Stock up on stationery and cards so that you'll have supplies on hand to celebrate with or comfort those you love.
• You know those people you've been meaning to call or visit?  Use the slower summer days to do it.
• If you craft, make a few extra presents so you'll have things on hand.
• Make a stack of the books you've been meaning to read or the movies you've been meaning to watch.  Read the books on your hammock and watch the movies on rainy days.
• Take advantage of summer festivals, outdoor concerts, and the like.

Most of all, enjoy!

Mother's Day

1If you haven't done so already, today you really need to focus on your plans for Mother's Day:

• Before the end of business today, you need to make a dinner reservation.
• Make sure you have a card -- and stamps.  You should plan on mailing the card Wednesday or Thursday.
• Purchasing a gift should be a priority, especially if you have to ship it.  Unless you are willing to pay express rates, you'll need to mail a gift almost immediately.  If the gift has to go cross-country, you'll need express shipping.
• If you will not be spending time with your mom on Mother's Day, make sure you've set aside time for a phone call.  I love the Internet, but Mother's Day requires more direct contact (though Skype calls and webcam visits are great).