"For God is not a
God of disorder but peace." 1 Corinthians 14:33
Over the
weekend I was finally able to tackle a project that has been lingering for
months on my list of things to do and frankly I was sick of seeing it written
on the top of my calendar each week. I have been using a notebook for several
years to keep lists of my Christmas tasks. Things like gifts given, thank you
notes sent, things to do, card lists, and meal plans are all included in it. It
has helped me over the years to not feel as stressed and it keeps me mindful of
what I have done in the past and what has worked and what has not worked thus alleviating
the need for me to recreate the wheel every year so to speak.
I had been
feeling, however, that my notebook system was getting a little messy and needed
an overhaul. I had shoved various magazine articles and emails in it so it had
become harder to find things. Over Thanksgiving my sweet husband accidentally
spilled turkey drippings all over it as he assisted me in my need to make gravy
from scratch. The gravy turned out surprisingly well, but the notebook did not forcing
me to take action. Instead of using a notebook this time I decided to use a
binder with page protectors. I created four sections and labeled them
Traditions, Christmas Information, Card
List, and Recipes.
The
Traditions section includes a list of our family traditions. Doing this helped
me to decide on what activities I value and want to make time for during this
busy season. I was able to see what is important to me so now when other
opportunities and activities come up I can easily decide what things should
stay on our schedule and what things just aren't important for our family. For
instance, we found a great place to view Christmas lights this year so I
included the address in this section because it would be hard to find without
it. I also included a magazine article which included "Elf on the Shelf"
ideas.
The Christmas
Information section is the main part of the binder. I have a page protector
designated for each year. In each page protector I have a list of Christmas
gifts given that year and to whom, meal plans for all holiday meals cooked, and
a list of thank you notes sent and for what gifts. I never have to worry that I
have given the same gift twice. I also don't have to keep coming up with new
meal plans. I see what worked and can go with that again.
The Card
List section allows me to quickly see how many Christmas cards I need to buy.
It also served as a great help when it came time to send out birth
announcements. I never have to go through my address book again hoping that I
haven't forgotten someone.
The Recipes
section is a page protector with all the tried and true recipes that I use. I
had gotten tired of gathering all my recipes before the holidays to create my
shopping list. Now all the recipes are right together and easy to find. Most of
these recipes I never cook during the year anyway so it made sense for me to
keep them together.
I also
decorated the cover of my binder using Christmas scrapbook supplies. Someday
perhaps my girls will enjoy looking over the binder reminiscing about holidays
long gone. I know I would have loved something like this from my mom. So it
ends up not only being a practical help, but a memory keeper as well. Completing
this project makes me feel less stress and more peace about the next holiday
season. I want to enjoy the holidays with my family and not feel burdened by
all that needs to be done. Being organized in this way helps to make that a
reality. I want to focus on the real reason for the season and make sure that
Jesus is our focus- not my list of things still left to do!
No comments:
Post a Comment