There are so many things to organise at Christmas, that very often budgets get blown, time runs out, gifts are forgotten, and extra family members decide to join your festivities at the last minute.

Using a Christmas planner is the best way to avoid finding yourself in these situations, as well as be as organised for Christmas as you possibly can, so you can actually enjoy the day instead of being stressed by it.

WHAT IS A CHRISTMAS PLANNER?

A Christmas planner contains everything you need to do for Christmas in one portable place.

You can use a planner, bullet journal, or notebook as your Christmas planner, or if you prefer you can use an online notebook.

Related posts:
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WHAT TO PUT IN A CHRISTMAS PLANNER

If you’re interested in starting a Christmas planner to organise your Christmas, then here are some things that you can include in it.

A CHRISTMAS MASTER TO DO LIST

One of the first things you may like to set up in your Christmas planner is a Christmas master to do list.

Here you would list everything that you need to do for Christmas, and keep adding to it whenever you remember something you need to do.

Once you’ve created the below sections, you would then move each item from your Christmas master to do list to the relevant section, so you actually get everything you need to do done.

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GIFT LISTS, STOCKING STUFFERS, ADVENT CALENDAR ITEMS

This is a fantastic addition to any Christmas planner, as it allows you to detail everything gift, stocking stuffer, and advent calendar related.

Some things you can include in this section are:

• A gift wish list for yourself in case anyone asks what you’d like, as well as a gift wish list for your family, filled with ideas of gifts they’ve hinted they’d like throughout the year
• Who you’ll be buying Christmas gifts and stocking fillers for
• A total budget for all gifts, or a budget per person
• Where you’ve hidden gifts (if you have kids at home who find everything)
• Where you’ve purchased online gifts, marking down when you’ve received them so you can follow up on gifts that haven’t arrived
• Login details for online shops purchased from
• Things to buy if you’ve decided to do a DIY advent calendar

I recommend buying a few little extra gifts or gift vouchers just in case you get a gift from someone you didn’t buy for, and you want to return the gesture.

Related post:
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SUPPLIES NEEDED

This section of your Christmas planner is to list down supplies you’ll need for the big day, which include:

• Wrapping paper
• Cards
• Gift tags
• Gift bags
• Gift ribbon
• Scissors
• Tape
• Gift wrapping embellishments

CHRISTMAS CARD LIST

You may also like to record who has sent you Christmas cards in the past so you can return the favour this year.

This section can include names, addresses, and the dates the cards were sent.

CHRISTMAS TRADITION IDEAS

Christmas is a great time to start some new traditions, and this section of your Christmas planner is a great place to list traditions you’d like to start this year, as well as some you can start for future Christmases.

Related post:
25 Family Christmas tradition ideas

CHRISTMAS MEAL PLANNING

This is a section you’ll definitely want to include in your Christmas planner, as there’s bound to be some form of eating during the day.

Your Christmas meal planning section can include:

• Favourite Christmas recipes
• Christmas recipes to try
• Christmas baking recipes
• Recipes chosen for each meal type, which may include canapés, starters, sauces, mains, sides, dessert
• Snack ideas for Santa and his reindeer
• Ingredients and drinks needed
• What can be premade and frozen to save time on the day
• A timeline of when to start cooking each meal so everything is ready at the same time

Related post:
5 ways to make meal planning easier

CLEANING AND DECLUTTERING SCHEDULE

Listing down areas of your home you’d like to clean before Christmas, and decluttering areas where Christmas is likely to invade, like toy rooms and the fridge and freezer, could be something you’d like to make time for this year.

Related posts:
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SCHEDULE ITEMS IN YOUR CHRISTMAS PLANNER

Don’t forget to schedule anything that you need to action in your calendar once you’ve entered it into your Christmas planner, as this step is crucial in being as organised for Christmas as you can be.

 What things do you need to remember this Christmas?
I’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.