Organized Christmas

By Cynthia Ewer, Editor
Organized Christmas

Welcome to the Rudolph Club: your once-a-month meeting to simplify your holidays and get organized for Christmas!

At Organized Christmas, we know that the holiday season can be fast and furious. Solution? Take a day once each month throughout the year to plan and prepare for a more-organized holiday season.

On the 25th of each month, we'll bring simple assignments and easy tips to try now for a simpler, more joyous season. Over the year, you'll tackle planning and preparations to make the season lighter, brighter and less stressful come December.

Truth to tell, most of us don't really think about holiday crafts until way, way late in the game. Say, November? But when you think about it, late spring and early summer offer far more opportunities for crafting and needlework than the busy days of autumn. Long summer car trips. The sidelines at the Little League game. Summer vacation, with a lighter load of church and school activities.

It's time to organize and plan crafted gifts or decor projects. Here are a few places to start, plus some tips for happy holiday crafting:

Too often, that crafty glow gets in the way of our thinking cap. Common mistakes when planning crafts include overestimating time available (leaving the crafter with a huge crop of UFO's, or, Un-Finished Objects), selecting overly-complex projects that outstrip skill or available time, or attempting too many different crafts.

To match time and skill with crafts projects, get a plan. We've made it easy, with a free printable "gifts to make" planner form. Use our planner page, or make your own to get organized for happy holiday crafting.

As you plan crafts projects for the holidays, keep these four principles in mind:

First, mine your UFOs! Drag those Un-Finished Objects from beneath the bed and the back of the closet. They represent stored time and effort, and something about them appealed to you when you undertook them. If you can finish what you began (even many years ago!), you're ahead of the game. Work those UFOs into your crafting plan to cut clutter and save time.

Second, don't be afraid of making multiples of a single craft project for gift-giving. It's an efficient use of time--and by varying crafts from year to year, friends and family will anticipate each new treat. If you make melt-and-pour soap, craft multiple gifts in a single session. If it's cross-stitched bread cloths, vary designs slightly from gift to gift, but be sure everyone receives a bread cloth.

Third, keep the recipients in mind as you craft. Often, crafts projects become more than a simple gift; they acquire a level of personal investment that can turn tricky if the crafter senses the gift isn't fully appreciated.

For decor-conscious friends, try a consumable gift of candles, rather than a matted-and-framed traditional needlepoint piece that may never see the light of day in their ultra-modern, minimalist home. A trend-watching teen will appreciate a home-sewn nightgown, but might turn up a fashionista nose at a hand-crocheted granny-square skirt.

Finally, when crafting decor items, keep your holiday decor scheme in the front of your mind. However adorable the Elf door hanging appears in the crafts store, will it seem out-of-place with your gingerbread man theme? Stick to colors, themes and materials that harmonize with your existing decorations.

For more information on frugal decor and how to select a holiday decor scheme, see our article on Frugal Holiday Decorating Tips. It's a road map to selecting holiday decor with an eye to organization and money savings.

In February, those of us who write holiday letters began a Rudolph Day activity: noting the month's high points in a notebook or computer file.

If you're a letter-writer, take a few minutes today to add to your holiday letter file. What special moments, jokes or accomplishments have occurred during the last 30 days? Don't worry about style--just note any happy or interesting events to jog your memory come November, when you'll write your holiday letter

In January's meeting, we dedicated a "gift closet"--a closet shelf, deep drawer, or an under bed storage box designated to hold bought-ahead holiday gifts.

Time for a quick inventory check! Have you added gifts this month? Record them on the free printable Gift Closet Inventory Form. Your Gift Closet Inventory Form is a one-page reminder of what's tucked away for Christmas.

Frugal Finds for April: Easter Clearance

Easter's over? Look lively! Now's the time to scoop up stocking stuffers, cellophane, and gift basket filler at rock-bottom prices. Check the clearance aisle for baskets, too; many Easter baskets feature bright colors that work well for holiday gift baskets.

By Cynthia Ewer, Editor
Organized Christmas

Welcome to the Rudolph Club: your once-a-month meeting to simplify your holidays and get organized for Christmas!

At Organized Christmas, we know that the holiday season can be fast and furious. Solution? Take a day once each month throughout the year to plan and prepare for a more-organized holiday season.

On the 25th of each month, we'll bring simple assignments and easy tips to try now for a simpler, more joyous season. Over the year, you'll tackle planning and preparations to make the season lighter, brighter and less stressful come December.

Buying holiday gifts can be overwhelming, so the Rudolph Club has an idea for you! Whenever you buy a birthday gift for a friend or loved one, buy their Christmas gift at the same time.

To make tracking birthdays easier throughout the year, add our Birthdays and Anniversaries tracker form to your Christmas notebook.

A Birthday Buying strategy has a lot to recommend it. Buying a birthday gift focuses attention on the recipient, so you're more likely to find just the right gift than when you hit stores in December with a long list and sore feet.

Buying year-round spreads the financial cost over a longer period. Finally, Birthday Buying is a low-stress way to accomplish holiday shopping without spending a lot of time "thinking Christmas" throughout the year. It's a natural for the Rudolph Club!

While we're thinking "birthday", why not bring some blessed organization to sending greeting and birthday cards? An organized home has a good supply of birthday cards, thank-you notes, get-well, sympathy and wedding cards on-hand. When it's easy to share friends' special days, or respond quickly to their challenges, we build strong bonds in our community and our lives.

This Rudolph Day, check your stockpile of notes and greeting cards. Do you need to replenish your supplies? Many families find it easy and cost-effective to purchase card assortments to have on-hand in Card Central; check warehouse stores or greeting-card catalogs for inexpensive card packs.

In February, those of us who write holiday letters began a Rudolph Day activity: noting the month's high points in a notebook or computer file.

If you're a letter-writer, take a few minutes today to add to your holiday letter file. What special moments, jokes or accomplishments have occurred during the last 30 days? Don't worry about style--just note any happy or interesting events to jog your memory come November, when you'll write your holiday letter

In January's meeting, we dedicated a "gift closet"--a closet shelf, deep drawer, or an under bed storage box designated to hold bought-ahead holiday gifts.

Time for a quick inventory check! Have you added gifts this month? Record them on the free printable Gift Closet Inventory Form. It's a one-page reminder of what's tucked away for Christmas.

Green is good--and never more so than on the post-St. Patrick's Day clearance table! Keep a frugal eye out for green linens and crafts materials on sale now.

With Easter on the horizon, other frugal finds will be popping up fast. Baskets, fillers, toys and crafts make great Christmas stocking stuffers, too.

Stock up now for the best prices--and record your treasures on the free printable Stocking Stuffer Inventory.

Time to Spring Forward as Daylight Saving Time brings an extra hour of evening sunlight. This weekend, we'll set our clocks forward one hour as most of the U.S. adopts Daylight Saving Time.

Celebrate the seasonal change with a household safety checklist from sister site Organized Home. With links to safety resources and free printables, it'll see your household into the summer months, safely:

Spring Safety Checklist for Time Change Sunday

By Cynthia Ewer, Editor
Organized Christmas

Welcome to the Rudolph Club: your once-a-month meeting to simplify your holidays and get organized for Christmas!

At Organized Christmas, we know that the holiday season can be fast and furious. Solution? Take a day once each month throughout the year to plan and prepare for a more-organized holiday season.

On the 25th of each month, we'll bring simple assignments and easy tips to try now for a simpler, more joyous holiday season. Over the year, you'll tackle planning and preparations to make the season lighter, brighter and less stressful come December.

Even the best writers among us can suffer from writer's block in November, when it's time to tackle an annual holiday letter or Christmas newsletter. Coming up with a good review of an entire year can be quite a chore, especially when so many other activities and tasks compete for attention during the busy pre-holiday season.

Solution: begin your holiday letter now. Open a file in any word processing program or mobile text app. Each Rudolph Day, jot down notes about the high points and special moments of the last month. Don't worry about editing or polishing these Rudolph Club entries: the goal is to gather the raw material for an annual review while it's still fresh and memorable.

If you include photos in in your annual newsletter, take a second prep step: designate a computer folder or photo box for special photos you may wish to include with your holiday letter. Tuck any promising photos away as you draft your "this month" letter entries. Come November, it will be easy to edit the whole into a sparkling holiday letter--and no writer's block!

Extra cash is never more welcome than during the holiday season. Now's the time to begin to squirrel away a few extra dollars for December's Christmas cheer.

Check with your local bank; many financial institutions offer "Christmas Club" accounts that make saving easier. If not, begin your own Christmas Club by writing a check, however small, to yourself on the 25th of each month. Deducted from the running balance in your checking account, but not cashed, this practice can help create a welcome cash cushion for holiday expenses.

In January's meeting, we dedicated a "gift closet"--a closet shelf, deep drawer, or an under bed storage box designated to hold bought-ahead holiday gifts.

Time for a quick inventory check! Have you added gifts this month? Record them on the free printable Gift Closet Inventory Form. Your Gift Closet Inventory Form is a one-page reminder of what's tucked away for Christmas.

Dentist-approved non-candy Valentine's Day treats have hit the clearance tables in the last ten days. Look sharp! "I Love You" goodies, stuffed animals, socks, hair ornaments and jewelry make great holiday stocking stuffers, classroom treats or items for "holiday" gift baskets.

Stock up now for the best prices--and record your treasures on the free printable Stocking Stuffer Form. Keeping notes in your Christmas holiday notebook keeps track of your growing stash of low-cost stocking stuffers!

Faith and begorrah: St. Patrick's Day is on the way! Celebrate with quick and easy printable crafts from Organized Christmas.

Popping to have a great St. Patrick's Day? Give family and friends a "poppin' good" welcome with a St, Patrick's Day Jiffy Pop Popcorn Topper gift.

Using our directions and printable St. Patrick's Day popcorn topper template, you can create an easy, inexpensive gift ... in a jiffy!

Looking for a silly gift? Try your hand at Leprechaun Poop. Our recipe use green jelly beans, Lucky Charms-brand cereal, or candy mints and free printable gift tags. It's an easy school or office gift:

How To Make A Jiffy Pop ® Popcorn Topper

How To Make Leprechaun Poop

Tender cookie "nests" are an Easter favorite in the Ewer house!

Tangy dough is rolled in tinted coconut to form pretty nest-shaped treats.

Use seasonal chocolate-covered almond candies to decorate these pretty Easter cookies.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth. Stir in the vanilla, then gradually beat in the dry ingredients.

Divide the coconut into three separate containers. Color one portion red, one yellow, and leave one plain. Toss the colored coconut together with the plain.

Roll cookie dough into walnut sized balls, roll the balls in the coconut mixture, then place them 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheet. Press 1 candy into the center of each cookie.

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, then remove from the oven and press 2 more candies into the center of each cookie. Return to the oven to continue baking for another 4 to 5 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Valentine tricksters, take note ... it's Cupid Poop! Surprise your Valentine with this easy gag gift.

Making Cupid Poop is as easy as placing a handful of candy hearts, seasonal marshmallows, or red jelly beans in a small zipper food storage bag.

Seal and label with a free printable Cupid Poop gift tag or bag topper, or handwrite a tag using the poem below.

I couldn't send you flowers
And candy wouldn't do.
Romantic cards just didn't say
The things I wanted to.

I got you something special
And here's the inside scoop.
It's very rare and magical:
A bag of Cupid Poop!