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

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.

Finish addressing your Christmas cards, and begin writing little personal notes in each one before you seal it.  If you do just a few cards a day, the task won’t be overwhelming.  If you usually write a Christmas letter, get it written now, and make enough copies for everyone.  Don’t have your cards yet?  Go to http://www.bobbibopstuff.com and you’ll find some great buys on quality cards.

Prioritize your final list, and keep your eyes on the ads to try to find as many of the items you are looking for on sale.

6-Nov

            Make your own “Count-down” calendars for each of your kids.  The easiest is to photocopy a December Calendar page for each child, glue them onto poster board, and place each child’s name at the top of a calendar page.  Have the kids spend the evening decorating the poster board around their page. Hang the poster at kid height in the family room or kitchen.  Make sure it’s sturdy, since you’ll be attaching lots of “stuff” to each square. 

7-Nov

            Purchase little treats like individually wrapped candies, party-favor toys, gum, and favorite snack items.  Make sure each thing you purchase is small enough to fit on a calendar ‘day’.  If there are family traditions like viewing Christmas lights, attending a special event, etc.. write the event on a small piece of paper, and roll it to be wrapped and placed on the calendar on the appropriate date.  Include such things as “Today, Jesus wants us to do a secret good deed for someone old”, or, “Today we need to find 3 toys to donate for children who don’t have very much,” or “Today we get to make Santa’s Christmas Cookies together.”  These “gifts” should be rolled, wrapped, and placed on the calendar on appropriate days.

8-Nov

            As you accumulate the special treats and make the message gifts, wrap each in gift wrap scraps or colorful tissue paper, and using a glue stick, attach to the calendar squares for each child.  They love checking every day to see if something new has been added to their calendar, and this is nearly as much fun for them as removing the “gifts” later.  You can add just one thing per day per child from now through December 1^st.  Easy for you, fun for them!

9-Nov

            Visit a few Church and Community gift bazaars.  You’ll often find unique and special gifts and decorations.  I visit each year just for fun and ideas.

10-Nov

            Purchase all non-perishable items you need for Thanksgiving and store them away.