How to Create your own Christmas planner

My gift to all my Planner Perfect ladies…a how-to on creating your own Christmas planner.

printable version
This is the perfect accompaniment for your Planner Perfect. But, instead of having a tabbed section for Christmas in the back of your planner, I have revised my Christmas planning so you can take it with you. Introducing the Planner Perfect, Christmas planner. It is its own small planner and I will teach you how to make a compact, Christmas planner, full of Christmas organization in a handy, red lovely binder, to be used year after year. You will not only feel organized, but look it, too.

Tools needed to create your Christmas Planner Perfect:

• One red, hard cover, 3-rung, 1-inch binder
• One package of college-ruled loose-leaf paper
• One package of earth friendly, tabbed dividers (I love not only how they help the planet, but how natural, and beautiful they look)
• One clear zipper pouch that fits a 3-ringed binder
• Holiday Stickers 
• Highlighter
• Pen
• Small calculator
• December one-page calendar

This is my Christmas binder I chose. It is a hard cover which I like and I put a sticker on the side seam to represent the holidays.

I assembled this planner with my zippered 3-hole pouch first, my calendar, my tabbed dividers with a chunk of loose-leaf between each tabbed divider. Each divider is decorated with a holiday sticker.

Each divider is marked for: gift ideas, budget, cookie list, menus, and crafts. Each tab represents optimal organization.

• In my gift idea section, I have each person I am giving to, listed with gift ideas and approx. cost under each name. Don’t forget stocking stuffers! They add-up so be sure to include it in your budget. Write down what you’d like to stuff and the amount of money you’d like to spend on it. I also have the total budget for each person by their name. This keeps me accountable to what I spend. As I purchase each item, I check it off and keep track of my spending with my calculator and highlight any leftover items and where I’d like to purchase them.

• My budget section has my budget in detail. My spending projection for the month. How much I’m starting out with, my budget for gifts, outings, special meals, theater events, wardrobe, holiday pictures, and anything jolly that takes extra money to be considered. This keeps you on budget and on track.
• My cookie list section has all my wonderful cookie recipients listed, the packaging I would like to use and where I’d like to get it, and all the cookies I’d like to make. I mark that baking date in my calendar that is conveniently located in the front of my planner.
• My menu section is great for writing down all the foods being made during all the potlucks, and different gatherings where food is the focus and fun is to be had. This keeps you on target and organized to write down what you would like to contribute to all the different food gatherings. When friends and family call with a food item for you to bring, you have the perfect place to write it all down. When you write these down, being organized about it enables you to bring something that has been thought-out and the time to prepare something your friends and family will be talking about it for years to come.
• My craft section is perfect for all gifts homemade. Look through craft books, Family Fun, or get creative on your own and write down all that you’d like to make, mark in your calendar when your going to make the trip to the craft supply store and the dates that you can devote to crafting and wrapping. This is a wonderful way for children to give something from their heart to friends and family. Take your planner with you, as everything will be written down for your convenience.

Your zipper pouch fits nicely in the front of your binder and is perfect for a mini calculator, your favorite pen and highlighter. It also is the place to keep all of your holiday receipts. Everything you would ever need for being organized for your Christmas is all right here.

Your December calendar page is perfect for just jotting down Christmas dinner gatherings, Christmas cookie baking days, shopping days and any and everything Christmas. Your best bet would be to print a December page off. There are many sites that offer free printable calendar pages. I would print it on cardstock paper as it is durable.

Reinforced paper is your friend. I know it costs a little more, but it is durable, and larger than its traditional counter-part and worth every cent. Walmart has the best price.

My red binder is Wilson Jones and is a hard, 3-rung, red binder. You are going to love it’s look when all assembled.

Have fun picking out your favorite pen, highlighter, mini calculator and holiday stickers. I love strolling through the scrapbook isle for these. There are a lot to choose from. Have fun beatifying your pages. Making your planner look and feel beautiful represents who you are and how you feel. So create it beautifully.

Enjoy creating your Christmas planner and the feeling that comes from being completely organized. I wish you a very, merry, Planner Perfect Christmas!

This is an example of how to use your holiday stickers.

example of what my cookie list may look like…

I have a 2-page calendar page for December, use what you like.