For Thanksgiving dinner--or any holiday meal--a countdown checklist can be a lifesaver. Get going on a back-to-basics turkey dinner for Thanksgiving with this printable Thanksgiving prep checklist from RealSimple.com.

Part menu planner, part meal preparation checklist, this form simplifies and streamlines creating a holiday meal. Add one to your Christmas planner and get cooking, for a great holiday meal:

Thanksgiving Prep Checklist

Pretty, shmitty: you want holiday planner forms without all the colored ink and graphic foo-foo? Here you go: a set of six basic holiday planning forms from D*I*Y Planner reader shris.

Downsized and created in greyscale, these printables will appeal to folks looking for a no-nonsense, downscaled Christmas planner. A bonus: included source files allow users of Open Office to edit these planner pages.

Check 'em out; in black-and-white and sized for 8.5-by-5.5 planners:

Holiday Planning Set from D*I*Y Planners

Even during the busy holiday season, the family's got to eat. When the question's "What's for dinner?", the answer is a printable weekly meal planner.

Check out this printable from the Unclutterer blog; it's a basic, no-nonsense menu planner for a week's worth of meals. With dedicated space for notes and a grocery list, it's a powerful planning tool for an organized home ... any week of the year. The meal planner is offered in your choice of Excel spreadsheet format or as a printable .PDF file:

Creating A Weekly Meal Plan

Think all Christmas planners have to be artsy and "over the top" to make the grade? Not so! A simple three-ring binder notebook makes a fun and functional Christmas planner.

Check out this in-depth notebook tour from blogger Practically Pink as she follows the Holiday Grand Plan to prepare for the holiday season.

Taking you inside the covers of her Christmas planner, she shows the way to use this organizing tool to save time and cut stress as you get ready for Christmas:

Practically Pink's Holiday Grand Plan Notebook Tour

Organizing blogger Meck Mom weighs in on getting organized for Christmas with these free printable organizer pages for your Christmas planner.

With a fresh and sprightly design, they're a nice addition to any letter-sized Christmas planner. Choose from a holiday budget, gift planner and weekly Christmas planner page. (You'll want to select the download links for blank forms for your own use.)

Meck Mom: Get Organized for Christmas With Printable Planning Pages

Can you make a Christmas planner from a simple 2-pocket folder? With back-to-school sales offering these items at a bargain price, take a tip from craft blogger Stamp, Paper, Scissors and create a custom holiday organizer from an inexpensive school staple.

This Christmas planner packs a lot of punch into a small space. While we've seen pocket-folder planners before, her clever addition of a small "gift guide" notebook, calendar (using printable calendars from OrganizedChristmas.com) and receipt envelope makes this planner extra special.

Make a Christmas Organizer

Don't miss the printable template for the gift guide notebook! Created from your own printer, it adds new functionality to a pocket Christmas Planner:

Gift Guide Page Template