Holiday Grand Plan: Christmas, Solstice, and/ or Chanukah in July

I attempted the Christmas Countdown last year, but I have to admit, it just wasn't enough. I desperately need to organize and declutter and I think the Holiday Grand Plan may be more the thing. I'm hoping to have sorted enough to have a yard sale by the end of August--I have got to get rid of some things. We have too much junk!

...but most of you know that I'm a devotee! Last year went seriously awry (student teaching, graduation, etc.) but I have every intention of doing better this year!

Becky, HGP is very easy to adapt to whatever homekeeping schedule you use. The holiday tasks are listed separate from the cleaning. I've used a modified "Grand Plan" for cleaning in the past, but I'm on a different program now...either way it's pretty simple to incorporate the holiday prep into whatever works for you!

For any newbies out there here's what we're talking about:

Holiday Grand Plan
or
Christmas Countdown
or
Flylady's Cruising throught the Holidays

Blessings,
Lenora
"...if woman's work is never done, why bother about how much of it [isn't] getting done at any given moment?"
~ Claire Fraser in The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

I've tried before and not quite stuck with it -- but you know, a little is better than nothing! I want to be done with holiday stuff in mid-December so I can really focus on Advent and Christmas stuff with the family.

Shaun
www.homeschoolblogger.com/shaunms

Holiday Grand Plan breaks my golden rule of no Christmas before October. This is partly to keep it seasonal and partly because at the moment we have our main family holiday at the end of September and planning Christmas before summer holidays is just too weird.

I did CC last year but didn't really do it properly, but I definately saw how useful it would have been if I had. This year I'll be more devoted

Zillah

I've tried the Christmas Countdown and not stuck to it before so I know there's no chance of it working for me this year. I shall be keeping in mind some of the important themes of these kinds of countdowns, but this is the year I shall be planning Christmas sales from the other side, so I have only one goal:

not to do all the wrapping on Christmas Eve.

beyond that I know I wouldn't manage. Of course I've already been stocking up on little gifts, cheap Christmas crafts and whatever I've seen on sale, but many of the little gifts go to cousins for their October birthdays, and on DS' birthday on 1 December, so I really do need plenty more than I have. Buying the gifts isn't the big issue for me. I've promised to do the Christmas Day meal this year (I begged off last year because my roasting skills were more minimal than they are now). Need to find a way to fit us all in and figure out menus. Need to decorate. Need to wrap early and not lose things. But really just that one goal for me.

Kerri.

I have tried the Christmas Countdown before, and have never managed to stick to it all the way through. But then, I never stick to ANYTHING all the way through really I will probably have another bash at it this year.

While I didn't stick to it, I did a lot better at it than I would have if I hadn't done it. So I'm going to try HGP this year and see if I like it.

Now is the time to buy your wide-mouth canning jars if you're doing "Gifts in a Jar."

I picked up a bunch of the teeny jelly jars (8 oz) and I want to makesome peaches-and-cream bath milk....the plan is to keep them on hand at school as quick "Thank You's" for those at school who will be required to help me with the multitude of things I don't know yet! I need a good scent for a "manly" sea salt scrub, too....same reason; just for the guys.

Blessings,
Lenora
"...if woman's work is never done, why bother about how much of it [isn't] getting done at any given moment?"
~ Claire Fraser in The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

How about mint for the men? Or something spicy.

The last couple of years I have started thinking about Christmas so early that I have been burned out and longing for it to be over by December 1st I think the problem is that for me, it involves so much (monetary) stress. Thinking about Christmas early basically involves worrying about the cost for months and months in advance. I also get very stressed about what to buy certain people - I have a few people on my list who are Extremely Difficult to buy for. This year I am cutting down drastically. Cheap and simple are my buzzwords this year And I'm not going to spend half the year stressing, either

As a scent for guys, or cedarwood--that one I really like. Anyhow, I've never tried HGP or CC, but the idea seems nice, then you're not trying to figure stuff out last minute (of course, what I usually do is say "Well, if I didn't get to it, then it's not getting done!!" Then we run off to family's house for Christmas and the kids don't know any better. This year may be different, as we have moved about a 3 days drive away, and I'm not making the trek in the snow.

there should be all kinds of herbs you could add, or herbal essential oils that would smell more manly Lenora.

Kerri.

Lynn once sent me a bar of sandalwood soap with something else I ordered. (Such a sweetie!!!) Loved it!

Blessings,
Lenora
"...if woman's work is never done, why bother about how much of it [isn't] getting done at any given moment?"
~ Claire Fraser in The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

Well, even though I said I didn't want to think about Christmas this far in advance, I made my first gift yesterday - a huge stripey dishcloth for my Dad. He loves my dishcloths but ones I have made him before are a bit small and ladylike for his big hands I would really like to make him a matching cover for the washing up liquid for a laugh - anyone know where there is a knitting pattern for those? I can only find crocheted ones on the internet

I have now started a facecloth for DS15 - all our facecloths are in 'girly' colours, so I plan to knit him a few in shades of blue, and buy him a couple of bars of the nice soaps he likes from Lush or the Body Shop. I also have a small cross stitch picture I want to sew for DS, and I may make him a scarf too.

For my friend and her two children, I am thinking of a gift basket. They love hot chocolate, so I am thinking maybe a hot chocolate mix in a jar (there are some nice recipes on the internet), some nice cookies and marshmallows. What else could I put in the basket to go with that theme? They like games, especially cards, so maybe a new card game that they don't have. Any other (inexpensive) ideas?

yup, it's that time again, for a transcontinental hop to visit grandparents, only instead of buying unusual little items form the UK for our Singaporean friends and family, I'll be buying the Singapore bits and bobs for British friends and family. It's always good to have a shopping place nobody else gets to!

right now I have to use some of my existing stash for party games for DD's 10th birthday tomorrow. Even I find it hard to believe I have a 10yr old, let alone the people who ask me for ID to buy glue!

there are very often websites that either sell gift baskets (and tell you the contents!) or that tell you how to make your own. Some of them have great ideas. Uno's a great little game, but they may have it already, and many others aren't cheap (like Boggle, etc). I found a version of a game I had as a kid called Continuo - maybe it's on Ebay - which is lots of cardboard tiles divided into coloured squares an you make chains from one card to another by where you place your card. The length of chain is the score - Mum and I used to have a great time with it... Should be under 10 if you can find it.

Kerri.

OK, well there are two. I'm not sure the prices, as they were both gifts, (I think around $10 is all...maybe less on ebay...yeah from $3-$15) but the games were "Bohnanza" and "Xactika". Two fun games that involve strategy and a bit of luck. I like ones I have to think through. Good luck with the shopping. We did a bunch of Christmas at Kohl's in the spring, when the winter stuff went on clearance. Got some nice shirts for $2-3 a piece, and (my favorite find) was 2 new sportcoats for DH for $2.50 each. I gave them to him as a gift before starting work on his PhD, and he wondered why I'd allowed myself to blow our budget (hee hee, I didn't!!). So, now it's time to find some ways to doll up the place for fall/Halloween, then I'll think more about Christmas (as I think I get to go elsewhere for Thanksgiving).

It's Week 3 of the HGP Man alive! How'd that happen?

I spent a bit of time on my front flower bed in honor of "Front Porch Week" and thankfully, my card list only needed a couple of additions and one deletion. I've got a running "gift idea list" working in my planner, too, though nothing has been bought.

I'm going to put up my "fall" decor next week-end...I'm just not quite ready to do it yet!

MIL is terribly ill, kidney failure (they started dialysis on Friday) and liver failure now added to the heart/respiratory failures. I think it will be an awfully long week. SIL is here from SC and that does ease things a bit, as she is able to stay with MIL all day.

Anyway! I just though this thread needed kicked back up a bit!

Blessings,
Lenora
" The teacher is just a boat to take the student over the river."
Gautama Buddha

I was wondering if anyone was actually doing this!

I've been trying, but I've had terrible fatigue the last couple of weeks and just haven't gotten much done. I did clear the front porch, but the flower garden needs more help. Freecycled the mattress set that was taking up most of the living room--does that count?

I have a feeling I'm going to be doing some catch-up later!

Lenora, I'm so sorry to hear about your MIL. I'll be thinking of you both.

(or KICK if you need a kick-in-the-pants)

I've got my "Fall" decor all put up. SIL cleaned for me one day and since everything was spiffy, I went ahead and put it up. I have Halloween stuff to add, but that will wait several more weeks.

We also (just today) bought DD16's dress, shoes, hand bag, and jewelry for the homecoming dance next week-end. She's on Student Council and the stage decorating committee for the dance (where the HC court will be presented) so we've been gathering up fabric/glitter/other tidbits when we have the chance.

No baking-no buying yet. Oh well. It'll happen. My favorite grocery store has flour on sale this week so I'm going to stock up...does that count?

Blessings,
Lenora
" The teacher is just a boat to take the student over the river."
Gautama Buddha

Seriously?!? It's WEEK SIX?

Well I did buy baking supplies and added a few gift cards to my "stash." I've bought my halloween trick-or-treat candy and the bags for DD11.5's school party. DD16 is co-chairing a harvest party for another organization and we've already bought the plates/cups/napkins for that. Costumes are decided and done except for DD11.5's ninja stuff.

I'm cooking Thanksgiving, but it will likely be small...just us and my parents, with my sister and her family coming by for either appetizers or dessert (depends on her in-laws plans)

BATTERIES! Did you all remember to change/check the batteries in your smoke/carbon monoxide detectors? Ours are hard wired into the house, but we replaced the back-up batteries this year. DH also replaced the lightbulbs outside at the front door and garage.

We had already done a big "kid-stuff" purge when we cleaned the basement so we're good there..but we're not making much progress on the wish-lists.

FYI you Christmas Countdowner's! You start 3 weeks from today!

I missed a week when we went away to San Diego and never quite got back to it. My mother was here this weekend, though, so my house is now much cleaner (having cleaned up for her arrival). Hopefully that'll mean I can find the time and energy to tackle some of the HGP stuff!

I shall just enjoy watching you lot toil until then. He he he.

Zillah

I just found the Holiday Grand Plan website, but I've done my own version for quite a while. I'm a college professor (and before this, I was a busy, stressed-out grad student writing a PhD dissertation), and Christmas time, unfortunately, coincides with the end of the fall semester. Anything that is not done by Thanksgiving usually doesn't get done. Some of my favorite strategies: begin addressing greeting cards in July or August, and do ten a week. I finish them the day after Thanksgiving (stamps and return address stickers; hubby writes the holiday letter and inserts it into the envelopes), and they go in the mail the first Saturday of December. There are always a few last-minute changes, but our greeting cards mostly get done on time with this approach.

My other favorite trick involves baking. In October and November, I spend a little time each weekend finding cookie recipes I want to make for the holiday season. For each recipe, I measure and mix the dry ingredients in ziploc freezer bags. Flour, baking powder, and salt go in a bag; sugar and spices can go in another; chocolate chips in another. All of the premeasured and mixed ingredients, with bags labeled, go into another, larger ziploc bag along with an index card showing the type of cookie and source (including page number) of the recipe. Holiday baking in December is relatively effortless! I get to enjoy some delicious cookies while a grade exams and enter students' final marks!