Do some planning for stress-free holidays

Every year we declare that this year we will be ready for the holidays, and every year we find ourselves wrapping gifts or running to the grocery at the last minute. Do you want to have a stress-free holiday? I can see you affirming this with your head nods! Well, it is not going to happen if you just sit and wish things could be different. It is going to take a little moving on your part so that your lives will be peaceful. Are you ready to look at some simple ways to keep life calm during the holidays?

When your home is weighing heavily on your heart it is hard to do much of anything else. I want you to set a timer and do a fun crisis clean. This is spending 15 minutes in your kitchen, then 15 minutes in your living room and 15 minutes in your main bathroom. Then for the last 15 minutes I want you to sit down with a cup of something warm and a notebook. We are going to do what we do best; make a list. This list is not going to be a guilt fest, either.

Now that the house is looking better, you can sit back and enjoy the ride. Doing a fun crisis clean each day in each room will keep your home maintained.

Now for our simple holiday planning notebook. You can download one for free on my Web site. Just go to www.FlyLady.net and look in the Holiday Cruising Section for a link to the Holiday Control Journal. If you don't want to take the time now, then by all means just grab an old notebook with a few sheets in it and we can get started.

1. How much money do you have to spend? This should include travel money, gifts, food and anything else that is above your regular budget. In order to enjoy the holidays we can't be dreading the January bills. Write down the amount of money you want to spend toward the back of your blank pages.

2. Now title the pages: travel, favorite family traditions, holiday meals, gifts to make, gifts to buy, decorations and gift wrap, parties and events and your personal gift list.

3. Are you traveling or is your home going to be filled with guests? Make a list of things that need to be done: car maintenance, packing, plane tickets, guest room cleaned.

4. What are some of your favorite holiday traditions? Is it the boiled custard that my son adores that his grandmother used to make or is it the snow village in the bookcase? Make a list of the things that you love; after which you may want to question your family about this. Is it baking cookies for the neighbors or caroling on a cold winter evening? Don't feel pressured to do them all. This is just a list and you will be able to prioritize them.