Begin making a special “I love you” gift for each family member.  Plan on opening these gifts on Christmas Eve.  You’ll see some ideas in some of the up-coming pages.  This is also the time to begin making any special “from your kitchen” gifts for friends, family and neighbors.  Make a few extras for hostess gifts.  Herb oils and vinegars, fruitcakes, sourdough starters, plum puddings, and other items like these need time to “mellow”.

It’s Time to open the Christmas Tin.  If you’ve been working this plan since last Christmas, you’ll have enough money in the tin to pay for all gifts, events, food, and entertaining.  If you’ve only been doing the plan for a short while, you may not have enough, but do EVERYTHING you can to avoid using the credit cards this year.  Follow the plan to the best of your ability, and by next Christmas you’ll be set.

Take all the money from the tin to the bank.  Try to make this a family event.  It’s very exciting to see how much everyone has been able to save.  Don’t go to one of those “change machines” at the grocery store, they take a percentage of your money, and you’ve worked too hard for it to leave a portion in a machine.

Advent begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas.  If your family celebrates with an advent wreath or calendar, get them out now.  You can adapt your count-down calendar to an advent calendar if you wish.  Just make the gifts and dates appropriate to the advent season.  Check with your church to see if there are any special advent events planned that you and your family want to attend.

18-Nov

            Take time out to be thankful for all you are and have.  Also, spend time in prayer.  Seek peace, calm, and love.  Be thankful, also, for all that you have accomplished toward being ready for Christmas!

19-Nov

            If you’ve been keeping a wish tin, today would be a good time to begin reviewing and revising the wishes.  Sort the wishes by person, and spend the evening reviewing the wishes each person has made throughout the year.  Are there any they no longer want?  Is there something they now want more?  Try to encourage each family member to “throw out” at least ½ of their wishes.  In exchange for them eliminating ½ of their wishes, you will write “special surprise” on a page, and put it into the tin for them.

20-Nov

            Make a list of the wishes that are still in the wish tin, and be prepared to mail or e-mail it to Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, etc.  Now is about the time they are asking what you and your kids want for Christmas.  Make sure sizes, brands, and color preferences are also listed.

21-Nov

            Schedule one special event and shopping day for each child individually during the next few weeks.  Let it be their day, their agenda.  You might take one to visit Santa, and then to the dollar store to buy gifts for their friends or grandparents.  An older child may want to attend a special

16-Nov

            If you saved last year’s Christmas cards, select all appropriate cards that have no writing on the back of the picture.  Cut out 3”x 5” or 5”x 7” postcards from the old card.  Turn them over, draw a line down the middle, write an address and return address in the right section, and a short greeting in the left section.  Send these Christmas postcards to people that you need to acknowledge, but aren’t close to.  You’ll save on cards and postage!

17-Nov

            Make last minute arrangements for Thanksgiving.  If you are cooking, finalize menus and entertainment plans

Still need some things for friends and family out of town?  Go to:   www.bobbibopstuff.com, order what you need, tell them it’s a gift, and have them ship each item directly to the gift recipient.  You’ll pay just a bit more for the shipping if there are several different locations, but it saves you having things shipped to you, then you needing to ship them to the recipients yourself. The gifts will be sent without an invoice or price tag, and they will even include a note if requested.