13 Weeks/90 Days/2160 Hours Till Christmas

It's about to get REAL! Now that you have a pretty good idea of how you will spend the holidays, it's time to get your gift list in order!

Use this brain dump sheet (from the FB page) and start writing down the names of all the people you give gifts to. We'll organize it later.

Here's a list to get you started:

FAMILY and FRIENDS

Spouse

Yourself (more about that later)

Kids

Parents

Grandparents

Siblings

Friends

Neighbors

Hostesses

SERVICE PROVIDERS

Teachers

Coaches

Hairstylist

Child Care Provider

Trash Collector

Housekeeper

Landscaper

Bug Guy

Water Delivery Guy

UPS Guy

Mail Carrier

Dog Walker

Have you ever asked your kids why they didn't take the garbage out when you asked them to? Or why they didn't finish those easy homework worksheets? What do they say? "It's going to take me two seconds." That's why they put it off. And how do we respond?

"If it only takes two seconds, do it now and get it over with."

We're going to take our own advice here and check off the easy ones. We're going to get it out of the way BEFORE the holiday rush. You will thank yourself in December when you're able to focus on what matters the most to you.

LET'S START WITH THE SERVICE PROVIDERS

Some people don't do anything for their service providers and that's fine. It's a personal choice. Let me suggest that if someone consistently makes your life easier, get them a little something.

TBH, most of your service providers would appreciate some cash. They work hard and even a little extra money goes a long way during the holidays.

Did you know that on average a teacher spends $1,000 a year out of their own pocket on supplies for their classroom and students? While they appreciate the themed gifts, mugs, clipboards, and signs, put some of that effort into cash or a gift card to their favorite store. Not sure? Ask any of your teacher friends.

TASKS

SERVICE PROVIDERS

1. Purchase blank Christmas or Holiday Cards. Nothing expensive. Think dollar store or Amazon.

2. Sit down and write a little note to each of the service providers. This is not a lengthy task. "Thanks for all you do to make our lives better. Love, the BLAH BLAHS". Put the card in the envelope and write their name/service on the front.

3. Tuck these into your Christmas Command Center and when the time is right, you can pull them all out, put a few bills inside and be on your way.

4. EXTRA CREDIT: Have a few extra cards filled out with a generic message.

"If it only takes two seconds, do it now and get it over with."

HOSTESSES

This only applies if you're going to holiday parties. But it's such a good idea to have on hand in case you get invited last minute. A good rule of thumb for a hostess gift is to make sure the hostess doesn't have to DO ANYTHING with your gift. Remember, this is a gift for the hostess, not for the party.

1.HomeGoods is a great place to find a hostess gift:

Tea Towel

Candle

Chocolates

Coasters

Plant

Ornament

2. EXTRA CREDIT: If you have enough notice, make the gift personalized. Find something with their initial on it: towel, candle, mug, ornament, etc.

3. We have these beautiful personalized ornaments. How special will your hostess feel when you show up with a thoughtful gift like this?

NEIGHBORS

I have some strong opinions on neighbor gifts. I've been a professional organizer for over 20 years and, hands down, the thing I saw most often in kitchens and in the back of pantries were those Christmas neighbor gifts of mixes. Muffin mixes (you're gettin' muffin for Christmas) and "cookies in a jar." We've all done it, so I'm not calling anyone out, but PLEASE STOP GIVING PEOPLE THINGS THEY HAVE TO MAKE! No one needs one more task during the holidays.

Make the cookies, buy the muffins, or pick from any one of these ideas.

**A neighbor gift should be ready to eat, ready to hang, ready to use.**

1. Decide on what neighbor gift you are giving and how many you need.

2. Print the tags. (Yes right now) You don't want to be running to the store for an ink cartridge when you're ready to drop off gifts. And we all know that our printers act up right when we really need them.

Tutorial: How to print multiple images from a jpeg.

3. Store them in your Christmas Command Center.

"If it only takes two seconds, do it now and get it over with."

You just finished some DECEMBER DETAILS in SEPTEMBER! Congratulations!!

Head on over to our Facebook Group and let us know what you're doing for neighbor gifts this year. You may find some great ideas from our other members or be the inspiration that someone else needs!

COMING UP NEXT WEEK:

Family and Friends gift list, DIY gif and what to do with all your brain dump information.