Rudolph Day
Preparing for Christmas Throughout the Year!

It’s Party Planning Month! It’s never too early to start planning your holiday parties. This month pencil in some tentative dates, decide party themes, and start thinking about menus and decor ideas!

• Master Gift List: We are at the halfway mark. How are your gifts looking? Plan to buy a couple gifts this month! Update your gift lists if you have been buying items throughout the year. Make sure you keep track of them so you don’t over buy!

Two things you need in summer? Sun glasses and some Christmas in July fun. This easy and quick craft will have your children smiling in no time at all. So get some simple supplies gathered and be ready for Christmas in July.  Find the directions over at Kaboose.

Then top off the craft with some ice cream with crushed candy canes or peppermint candies on top!  Check back here at Rudloph Day for more simple and easy Christmas in July ideas. :)

• It’s Recipe Month!  It’s time to organize your holiday recipes! This Rudolph Day task will help you be ready for next month’s party planning and then again in September when you plan your baking and candy making! Get a notebook or file box. Sort your recipes. Keep in mind that you can’t make them all. Keep a section for tried and true recipes that you love and a section for new ones that you want to try. Plan to try at least one recipe before June Rudolph Day arrives. Make a list of ones to try each month between now and Christmas!
• Themes: Do you like to do theme trees like a travel tree or a wine tree? Do you like theme decor or theme parties? If so, this is the month to decide on some themes so you can be on the look out for items to go with your “themes.” Flea markets and resale shops have hidden treasures but to pull it all together you need to make a decision about your theme(s) for this year!  In addition, don’t forget to “think outside the box”. Many non Christmas items can be used as decor or ornaments. When traveling pick up pretty keychains or other items to use as ornaments on your travel tree.

Get your things in place….tomorrow’s Rudolph Day…..and you have a whole month to explore recipes and themes!

• It’s Christmas Dishes Month!  Do you have Christmas dishes, serving trays, and other items that are tucked here and there? Do you have trouble finding them when it’s time for a party or dinner? Well this is Christmas Dishes Month and it’s time to declutter and organize the Christmas dishes. Find a storage area. move your dishes there and inventory what you have. Later you may discover a random piece stuck here or there, when you do, add it to your Christmas Cupboard, so when the holiday season arrives, you’ll have everything at your fingertips!  This is also a good time to organize holiday linens.
• Christmas Magic: Do you do 24 Days of Christmas activities? Do you give the 12 Days of Christmas gifts? Or perhaps you do a little St Nicholas Day gift. If so, this is the month to plan the “magic”. Make a list, pick out some items, or just get your ideas into the notebook!

It’s Books & Movies Month! Time to inventory and organize your Christmas books and movies! Gather them from all of their hiding places or perhaps you have them in a nice box or on a shelf! Take time to inventory what you have and spend some time browsing online to create a “wish list” for the coming holiday season! If you have a little one…this might be the month to “wrap” the books. Then when the holiday season arrives, place the wrapped books in a pretty basket or box. When story time arrives, your little one can pick a wrapped book to unwrap and have read to him or her!

Christmas Cash: If you haven’t already started, it’s time to start tucking away some cash for Christmas. Perhaps you have a Christmas Savers account? Be sure and add to it this month! Maybe you have a savings jar where you tuck away change and small bills? Don’t let it go hungry. You will be glad you fed it throughout the year so you have money for gifts! Through a combination of buying gifts throughout the year and saving some Christmas Cash…you can have a wonderful Christmas and still stay on your budget!

This isn’t Rudolph Day related but don’t forget the other holidays….here’s a cute little snack for St. Patrick’s Day. You can find the recipe at Pillsbury But then again you could probably make it with a Christmasy cereal too and call it Santa’s Snack! Use red or Christmas themed muffin cups!

• It’s Crafty Kits Month! This month decide on crafts or gifts that you would like to make throughout the year. Remember to keep it simple. You can only do so much.  Then create a craft kit for each one. Use a gallon sized zip lock bag and include the craft directions, materials list, and put in any materials you already have! Now you are organized and ready to craft and create during the whole year. Visit Magical Holiday Home’s Christmas Cottage page for some delightful ideas!
• Rudolph Day tote, basket, or bag!  This month find a little storage spot for all your Rudolph Day stuff. Place your Christmas notebook, crafty kits, cards, recipe books, Christmas mug, socks, whatever suits you into the tote. Every Rudolph Day, you will have most of your supplies at your fingertips!

There are as many versions of the Christmas Notebook as there are people in this world. Some use a spiral notebook, some use a three ring binder, some use a lovely scrapbooked version and some use an electronic version.  The main thing about the Christmas planner is to have one. In today’s busy why try to keep it all in your head when there are som many ways to record it and track it.  Only you can decide the “version” that works best for you. Don’t spend too much time deciding, it is already February. Just pick one and play around with it this year. If it doesn’t work like you want it to you can always switch to something different.

Besides the kind of planner you want, the other item that is a very personal choice is the sections you choose to include in it. Everybody has different needs. I would caution that ar first you just pick 4-6 sections and get them working for you before adding others. Sometimes diving in can become overwhelming. Better to have a smaller WORKING notebook than a large one that gathers dust!

Here’s a list of sections to get you thinking but also think about YOUR Christmas. What are the things that are important to you? What areas seem to stress you out? Those are the ones to consider organizing so that when Christmas rolls around you are armed with a notebook tailored to meet those challenges.

Possible Sections:

• Calendars (I use October-December) Record party dates, deadlines, Christmas programs etc
• Card List: This is a mini address book for all people that I send cards to. It’s so nice to have it all at my fingertips. Some people prefer to keep this section on their computer for printing address labels.
• Master Gift List: Everybody that needs a gift(s). When I buy gifts during the year I record them on this list. I also have a small section to check once the gift is wrapped!
• Stocking Stuffer Lists: Same as the gift list except just for those I fill stockings for.
• Baking Plans: This section I redo each year. I try to pick the cookies/candies I am making ahead of time and print and keep the recipe in this section. It also eventually includes a master ingredients shopping list so I can buy ahead of time.
• Party Plans: Since we entertain several times during the season, I use this section for party menus and notes. I also put Christmas Eve Dinner and Breakfast plans in this section. Again after making selections I copy and put recipes in this part.
• Christmas Countdown: This section has the six week Christmas Countdown. I don;t always follow it exactly because by preparing throughout the year there seems to be less of a need for it but I still have it to refer to.                                   

Those are the main sections I use along with a St. Nick’s Day section and an Elf Adventures section. There are other sections that some people use: decor ideas, storage, movie and book inventory, reflection page, freezer meals, etc etc. The best way to pick your sections is to think about your own personal Christmas and the things you normally hope to accomplish.

January 2011 Rudolph Day Tasks:

• It’s Christmas Notebook Month!  Time to reflect on Christmas past, jot notes for next Christmas, and declutter the notebook. Don’t forget to update addresses using the Christmas cards you received! Print new pages and get ready for the new year! This is a good time to update or start your gift closet inventory and tuck it in your notebook! Also make a list of things needed for the coming Christmas….new lights? ornaments? etc
• Rudolph Day List: Take time this month to look ahead and jot down ideas for future Rudolph Days. Use the ideas list here at MHH or personalize it to fit your individual needs!

We are starting a brand new year here at Rudolph Day. I’m exciting about getting ready for Christmas 2011. Rudolph Day along with Magical Holiday Home will be hosting some new Rudolph Day adventures. Over at the boards we have movie hostesses and each month they will announce the Rudolph Day movie and then members will watch the movie sometime that month and discuss their opinions of it! This isn’t a new idea but an old one that we are reviving. It’s fun to celebrate a little Christmas throughout the year by enjoying a movie!

Look at the January Tasks listed above. By following the tasks each month you will be ready for Christmas 2011 with time to spare and then you can sit back and enjoy the holidays!

Merry Christmas from Rudolph Day.com  We hope that your Christmas 2010 was beautiful and peaceful! It’s not 2011 yet but soon it will be and we’d like to take this opportunity to invite you to join us here at Rduolph Day for a whole year’s worth of Christmas prep. I manged it this year and I know you can too! It was a great Christmas partly because so much was accomplihed ahead of time, allowing time for what’s really important….good times with family and friends!

On January 25th at 8:00pm EST time….Magical Holiday Home will host a Rudolph Day chat over at Christmas Chatter.com So if you aren’t signed up there yet, please hop on over and get yourself signed up and ready to particiapte in our first Rudolph Day chat of 2011. We will be talking about setting up a Christmas notebook. Maybe yours is electronic, or spiral, or a binder? It doesn’t matter there will be tips and ideas for using your notebook during 2011 to stay organized for the besty holidays ever!