Christmas: Contained (Free Printable Planning Pages)

If you've been following along with me these last few months, you've probably figured out by now that I am a planner. I like to have everything together, neat and orderly and easy to find. I like to be prepared. And I love checking things off of my to-do list. One of my biggest stressors is when things get disorganized; when there is too much going on in my brain and in life, I start to feel like I am missing things- forgetting things- and it just makes me really anxious.

For the last few years, I've been feeling like the holidays are nothing more than one of those REEEEAAALLLY stressful times. So many events to attend, gifts to buy and give, relatives to make sure we visit, and traditions to uphold, all squeezed in around the regular-level craziness of our daily lives. I was just beginning to feel like, somehow, I needed to contain Christmas so that I could spend as much time as possible during the holidays making memories with my husband and our kids. 

So, with Thanksgiving fast approaching, and everyone starting to prep for Christmas, I thought that today I would share with you my Christmas planner pages, which you can download here. This free printable includes: a December calendar page, budget pages (both a general budget and one broken down into categories such as gifts & décor), a project planner, gift lists, a mailing list, baking list, menu planner and shopping lists. 

I just print out my pages, hole punch them along the left side, and keep them in a 1-inch binder along with two zippered pencil pouches (one for coupons, the other for receipts).

What I love about this system is that it keeps everything in one place and easy to find. Every purchase receipt goes into the assigned pouch, so that if I need to make a return or exchange, or locate a gift receipt, I know exactly where to go. I don't have to dig through my (much in need of updating) address book, because my mailing list is right in front of me. All of my stuff is right there when I need it!

So. If you're like me and you're looking for ways to keep everything together, print these pages... print them all, or just the ones you like, and find a system that works for you.

Please remember that these pages are for personal use only.