Live life intentionally. Take action. Get organised.
This is how I’ve been storing my Christmas cards for the last 3 years.
It’s the simplest and easiest way to keep them together, have them be easily viewable and still take up a minimum of space.
It took me all of 10 minutes to punch holes in the cards, attach two binder rings and it’s done!
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| my beloved binder rings |
So easy – one of my favourite organising tricks yet!
PS these are iphone pics. That’s why they’re not as good
I know it’s been more than a month since Christmas (!) but I thought I’d show you how I display and store my Christmas cards so you can pin this idea for next year 🙂
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| the whole string |
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| top section – the other ribbon with an ornament added some bling |
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| and the bottom section |
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| more close-ups |
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| can you see my reflection in the ornament? |
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| here are the cute clothespegs and the grosgrain ribbon – a nice thick ribbon feels sturdier |
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| and this was hanging at the top – I love these
What are your favourite ways to display your Christmas cards?
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And then after you take down the decorations and the cards…
I’m a big believer in setting yourself up for success.
If your environment supports you, you’re halfway there.
So, when it comes time for Christmas cards, I like to get all my stuff ready and then it makes the whole process easy and pleasant.
This is my process:
A note about the basket on the desk
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| Box with envelopes, addressed |
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| overseas ones are the priority – the one in the front was jetting off to Ireland 🙂 |
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| Side view
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| my box of cards – separated into categories to make it easy for me to find things. Yes, I do use TONS of cards, probably 10 – 20 per month. |
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| View from above |
P.S. Organise your home will help you declutter and set yourself up for organising success in the new year.
When you think about Christmas, what do you feel?
Do you feel overwhelmed and just a little bit stressed at everything you have to do? Or do you feel excited at the idea of spending time with friends and family?
My best Christmases have always been when I’ve been organised, prepared and more importantly, when I didn’t leave everything right up until December.
Here are a couple of things to consider so that you have an organised Christmas this year:
Your vision for a great Christmas
Decide, together with your family, if you want to celebrate with many spiritual activities, spend time at home with just your immediate family, do lots of baking, etc.
Christmas cards
Will you be sending cards by themselves, or with a family newsletter? Or will you be sending cards at all? Do you have a list of recipients?
Christmas gifts
Will you be giving gifts this year? Are you making any gifts or are you buying them all? Do you have a gift-giving budget? Remember to budget for gift wrap, gift tags and, if necessary, postage to your loved ones who live in a different city.
Christmas Day
Where will you spend the day – with your parents or his? Or will the family gather at your house? Who will cook the food? Which recipes will you use? Do you know where to find them?
How far in advance should you plan?
Well, that depends on how much stress you can tolerate! Personally, I like to have gifts done by the end of October and cards by mid-November. That’s because I really don’t enjoy the stress of having to get the perfect gift with no time to spare. Add to that the crowded malls and you can practically see my blood pressure rising!
I like to start planning at the beginning of October and I set myself mini-goals of compiling my card list first, then planning backwards so I write out a certain number of cards per week until they’re all done by my self-imposed due date. I do the same for gifts. I also wrap a few gender-neutral gifts just in case someone pops around with something for me.
It’s relaxing for me to prepare a beautifully-wrapped gift with a gift tag because I believe that presentation is part of the gift. Something I do that has saved me lots of money is I no longer buy Christmas gift wrap. Instead, I buy red and green coloured craft paper and matching ribbon. I can use the paper year-round with a different bow so that it doesn’t look Christmassy for birthday gifts.
This year, get organised for Christmas so you can welcome the season instead of dreading it.
On a scale of 1 – 10, how are you doing with Christmas prep right now?
I read an absolutely fabulous post over at Beth’s place the other day called The Christmas Police.
What a great reminder to simplify!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with all there is to do, STOP.
Just relax and BE.
After the initial bout of slight panic, it’s strangely freeing to go against the grain!
Give yourself permission to STOP and enjoy what you have done (even if it’s nothing). Nobody enjoys being around frazzled people, especially at this time of year.
Which is exactly why I’m avoiding the malls in Johannesburg… although I decided on the red daily planner and wouldn’t you know? They only had ONE left when I went last week so I snapped it up!
What do you need to give yourself permission to stop doing?
P.S. Mine is in the comments 🙂
In South Africa, people aren’t really big on giving Christmas cards. Or maybe that’s only in my circle???
This year I took about 40 from my stash (I buy them at half price just after Christmas every year) and I think 10 were for people in South Africa; the rest are being sent overseas.
Do you send Christmas cards? What’s your strategy for getting them done?
