Kathi Lipp's Blog, page 88

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Project 4: Prep Your Christmas Card

When was the last time you got to December 10th and took a deep sigh of relief that your cards were completely done and mailed?? Umm, I have to answer that one honestly and say never. But I can also honestly say that when they are done early, my stress level goes way down. I do the whole thing in stages.

Assignment:

Go through the list of things necessary to prep your Christmas cards. Maybe you need to buy paper for your annual letter or get pictures taken. Jot down all of the steps
Start working through the list and possibly enlist the help of others. Maybe your spouse can order the stamps and print addresses for you. Maybe your second grader can put the stamps on.
Make an assembly line while watching a movie to make it more fun. If it is too overwhelming to get done all at once, take time today to decide on one thing to accomplish each day this week. Mark each day on your calendar. By the end of the week, you will be ready to mail off your cards!

For More Details:  Get Yourself Organized For Christmas – Page 39-42

Do you need help with card ideas? Evite can help! Check them out for some great ideas.

 

Share Your Thoughts:

Have you broken down all of the steps before of getting cards ready? Even though it is many steps, much of it can be tackled over time and with help! Do you elicit the help of others?? What do you job out to save time, stress or a possibly a papercut on your lip?  Come share with us what YOU do.

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Project 4: Prep Your Christmas Card

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Project 3: Pick Your Christmas Card Picture

If you’re not sending a Christmas card this year, or you’re sending a card sans family photo, you get to sit this project out. For the rest of us, it’s time to sit down and choose a photo or choose a date to take pictures. Enjoy this project by inviting your family to help select the photo this year.

Maybe enjoy some Christmas cookies and cocoa as you look back on the memories you made together this year. If you still need to take family pictures, make a day of it! Plan on taking your photos together then going to the movies, out to eat, or grabbing your favorite hot beverage and shopping to fill your Operation Christmas Child boxes.

Assignment:  Pick your Christmas picture or set a date to take a family picture.

The earlier you get the picture taken, the better.  It’s November so photographers are offering holiday specials and booking sessions quickly.  Get your favorite photographer on the phone and get this scheduled.

Make your appointment at a time when your family is at its best. If you are all night owls, don’t plan an early morning appointment. Also make sure no one is hungry when you go for the picture.

Outfits don’t have to match perfectly, but they should coordinate and not clash!  Clothes should be comfortable.

On a budget?  Digital cards save you time and money and allow you to send a card to any number of friends and family. In addition you don’t have to spend a ton of money on a professional photographer because your pictures don’t have to be as high quality to really look great. Check out the options on Evite and see if a digital Christmas card is right for your family.

For More Details:  Get Yourself Organized For Christmas – Page 32

Supplies:  Cards, Picture, Printer paper if you do a letter, stamps, envelopes, address, and return address labels.

Share Your Thoughts:   Will you be sending cards this year? Will your cards include a family picture? Is it a Christmas picture or one taken throughout the year?  What made you pick that picture?  Do you send paper cards or digital cards?  Any tips for others who plan to get a family picture taken or use pictures in cards?

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Project 3: Pick Your Christmas Card Picture

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Project 2: Put Together Your Christmas Binder

Assignment: Create a Christmas Binder with Tabs

This binder is going to be your friend for the next few weeks. You know- the kind of friend that you count on to help you keep your sanity.   This friend should reflect you but more importantly the vision you have for your family Christmas! Yesterday you made a list of what is important to you for the holidays, what it would look like for you if you started fresh this year. Use your mission statement and go from there. But don’t forget this is supposed to be quick and easy!

For More Details: Get Yourself Organized – Page 28

Supplies: a 3 ring binder, tabs, (optional) colored pens, plain paper to decorate a cover sleeve to slide in the clear pocket.

Maybe you have an old binder lying around that contains your child’s old science fair project. Maybe you were on a committee for church a few years back and you can recycle one for a new purpose! Maybe you will take out a blank sheet of paper and decorate it and then slide it into the clear sleeve of the front cover of the binder. Maybe you make a fun label for the outside. Whatever you end up creating, make it SIMPLE.

Next get some dividers for the different categories. Get one for Cards, Recipes, Budget and Receipts, etc.  Then place them in the order that makes sense to you. Keep a copy of the mission statement in the front however, to remind yourself of the core values and what matters most to your family.

Go to evite.com for some great planning ideas. Did you know that there are tabs on there that give you tons of tips, ideas and ways to get your planning started? (it looks like Pinterest)  Click this link to take a look.

Then set a reminder on your phone or an appointment on your calendar to do a binder check weekly. This check will ensure you are USING it after you took the time to create it! It is so important for you to not get overwhelmed.  Use this time to store away any needed items to keep yourself organized. Put that receipt in the receipt section now because when you are in a hurry later, it won’t happen. Doing a simple task now will keep you from feeling crazed later!

Share Your Thoughts:

Where did you get your binder? Is it newly repurposed? What tabs did you put inside? Did you list out your Mission Statement and enclose it?

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Project 2: Put Together Your Christmas Binder

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Project 1: What is Your Christmas Mission?

 

Assignment:  Create Your Holiday Mission Statement

In order to have a peaceful holiday season, you may have to let go of some things you’ve always done. It’s time to focus on what is bringing you and your family joy. Make a list of what you normally do around the holidays as well as what you’d like your holiday season to look like.

After your list is complete, circle or highlight what is most important to you and your family, and cross out what you can let go of this year. Once you’ve focused on what you’d like your celebration to look like this year, grab your index cards and write your mission statement.

Remember to stick the cards somewhere visible to help remind you of your Christmas plan.

For More Details:  Get Yourself Organized For Christmas – Page 22

Supplies:  2 or 3 Index Cards, a marker, My Holiday Mission Statement form (found in the back of Get Yourself Organized for Christmas)

Share Your Thoughts: 

Now that you have your Christmas priorities straight, how do you feel?   What did you decide to eliminate?  What gets top priority?   Where did you post your mission statement?

 

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Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Project 1: What is Your Christmas Mission?

Episode #175-Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Projects 1-7

Let this year be the best Christmas yet!

This time of year, we have great visions of the Christmas ahead, but unless we do something now to be prepared, things can become overwhelming and quickly turn into a stressful holiday.

That’s why we are breaking down the Get Yourself Organized for Christmas: Simple Steps to Enjoying the Season into easy to do projects over the next few weeks.

Listen as Kathi discusses projects 1-7.

Get the book, including the free Get Yourself Organized for Thanksgiving ebook, and free resources HERE.

 

Episode #175-Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Projects 1-7

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Prep Day 4: Designate an Area (Christmas Headquarters)

When was the last time you pulled out from under your bed the wrapping paper container only to find that you are pretty much completely out of wrapping paper? Umm, how did this happen?!?  And then realize that you know that you saw some recently… Oh yeah! You run upstairs to the spare bedroom closet to find the missing wrapping paper, only to discover it is a bag full of bows. Geesh! You can’t win. This only happens to me when I need it now!!

Assignment: Designate an area, one place for all of your wrapping supplies – think of it as your Christmas Headquarters! Maybe it’s your bedroom, an office, or a closet. Wherever it is, clean up the area and make space to store the extra supplies.

3 Reasons you need to be organized this year:

Organizing saves TIME- when you take the time to get your space organized you save loads of energy not looking for things you thought you had (ie: the above scenario). Searching around for tape, scissors paper bows etc. can tire a girl out. For real. Save yourself the flight of stairs!
Organizing saves MONEY- when you make a list of what you have and what you need you are more prepared. You don’t go off to the store for more scotch tape, only to find you have three rolls in another room! You really could have used that $6.00 for your son’s school field trip!
Organizing saves STRESS- when you have everything you need all when you need it in one location, this keeps you sane. You stop running around like a chicken with her head cut off. It’s a busy enough time of year, we don’t need to make it worse by saving things for the last minute. This causes stress. Stop it!

The best thing you can do to ensure you have a holiday free from stress is to plan ahead. Take the time now before life gets crazy busy, and get your space ready. Really, this will make the whole process much more enjoyable! (I just realized that I need to add tape to my next shopping list because that is one item that just won’t stick around like I need it to! I’m off to store later anyway, might as well get it now!)

Share Your Thoughts:

Where will your space be located? Is it in a kid free zone or just where you have room – maybe the dining table?!  It’s ok if it is- no judgments here!  I don’t think kids care that much, do you?

This year we’ve partnered with Evite to bring organization to your party planning and holiday celebrations! Check out the Kathi Lipp and Evite partner page for some great party ideas and the evites you need to invite your favorite guests!

If you haven’t purchased Get Yourself Organized for Christmas yet, click here!

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Prep Day 4: Designate an Area (Christmas Headquarters)

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Prep Day 3: Find a binder

Taxes File Containing Taxation Reports And Documents

Assignment: Find a used 3 ring binder or purchase a new one.

Getting organized for Christmas doesn’t happen overnight. But following the steps in Get Yourself Organized for Christmas will get you on your way in 25 days. One item you will need to keep all your Christmas information together is a binder.  It doesn’t have to be new.  It can be one your children used at school or one you used before.   It should be a 3 ring binder and if you want a special cover, you will need one that has a plastic covering with a slit to insert a printed sheet.    These look nice, but are not necessary.   I recommend the 2 inch binders so you have lots of room for everything.  If you have to purchase you can pick them up at your local Walmart, Target or Dollar Stores.

Supplies:  3 ring binder, pens, My Holiday Binder Cover

Share Your Thoughts: What kind of binder did you purchase or find around the house?   Did you download the cover?   Are you ready to Get Yourself Organized for Christmas?

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Prep Day 3: Find a binder

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Pre Project 2: Grab a Friend

Today is the day! It’s time to get yourself that accountability partner who has been saying the same thing as you, “This year, I’m going to be ready for Christmas BEFORE Christmas Eve”. We know, she is your friend because she too struggles and is not afraid to admit that. Those are the BFFs we want to take with us on this challenge! Those are the girls that we think we have fooled into believing that we are better than we REALLY are. Those girlfriends are the best ones because they know the real us- they can’t actually be fooled… so, we give up the thought and embrace them as sisters in love… and join with them because together we will tackle this as a team.

Assignment: Grab a Friend

So here’s what you are going to do- choose one of these ideas to get you started;

Get on your social media platform of choice and mention Christmas and how you are ready to get it planned before it plans you. See who responds…See who is READY and ask them to dive in with you!
Call up your long lost BFF (you know the one you have been meaning to call anyway) that girl that knows you and knows what you need (whether it be a swift kick, or a loving hug) and ask her to join you on this journey. Reconnect through this challenge.
Pray that God place someone on your heart that could use a friend. Maybe she is struggling to get organized, maybe she is not quite ready to admit she could use some help. Don’t worry about who it is, leave that up to God. Ask that He help you AND help her, and then wait.
Try steps one or two after some prayer time. You never know how God works.

Now, the next part is crucial. Decide how you are going to check in with each other and how often. Make it a commitment. Make a plan. You know the saying “either you are failing to plan or planning to fail”. Just decide that is ok to ‘fail’ but don’t not plan because then you will fail. Since we know there is no such thing as perfect we can deal with a little failure or falling off the bandwagon, but what we don’t want to do is set ourselves up for failure by having no plan.

Share Your Thoughts: After you two have connected and decided to join us, come share with us!  Who will be your accountability partner?  How did you connect with them?  What is your plan for accountability?

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Pre Project 2: Grab a Friend

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Pre Project 1: Let’s Get Started

Assignment:  Get the book and read through page 20

Thinking about Christmas can be both exhilarating and exhausting. Thinking of all there is to do, buy, bake, cook, wrap, plan, organize, clean, and the list goes on. It is no wonder many think about the holiday season with dread and forget the true meaning of why we celebrate.

Whether you are filled with magical wonder or dread, one thing is for certain: ready or not, Christmas is going to happen.

Christmas is just a day. It isn’t the day that is the problem, it’s the expectations around the day that create the problems in our mind. Let’s change that!   Let’s make the holidays something you look forward to and even enjoy.  I want you to have the kind of Christmas where you celebrate the things that are truly important to you. Clutter isn’t just about things but about activities.  Activities that steal our joy and rob us of time to do the things that matter most.

A clutter-free Christmas says that we are doing only those things that are truly important.

So let’s get started.

Find out what activities are important to your family of friends that you celebrate Christmas with.
Figure out what is important to you.

For More Details:  Get Yourself Organized For Christmas – Page 9-20

Share Your Thoughts: 

What would be different about the perfect Christmas? If you could wave a magic wand, what would you eliminate about Christmas? What activities would you be sure to keep?  Were you surprised by anyone’s favorite activities in your family?

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Pre Project 1: Let’s Get Started

Organized for Christmas yet? Don’t miss Kathi today on Focus on the Family!

Today, Kathi will be on Focus on the Family sharing about her new book, Get Yourself Organized for Christmas and about the Countdown to Christmas that starts November 17th. You don’t want to miss this great interview where Kathi encourages you to get ready for the best Christmas you’ll ever have.

 

Organized for Christmas yet? Don’t miss Kathi today on Focus on the Family!