Can I see your paper Christmas planning system

[crochetmonkey74]

If any of you have a book or folder to plan Christmas, can you show us?
I've tried a few things over the years but nothing has quite stuck. Currently I have an a5 ringbider but it's already too full as I'm putting in recipes etc as well as paper planning sheets. My friend at work used to have a small notebook in her bag all year round and it was so battered and fantastic with lots of lists and receipts stapled in.
Please don't say phone or laptop spreadsheet . I am a paper through and through person. What do you guys use?

I have had a note book since my children were newborn so over 30 years!!
Ideas list .
Card list
Food list and when everything bought, price and wrapped.
First few Christmas's I spent £20 max on the children.

@Namechangeno19 i bet that is fantastic!

Is there any of it you can show us? I'm such a planner geek- I love it when I see someone with a really stuffed notebook in a coffee shop or something

I think it comes from seeing my aunty who religiously had an a5 day per page diary every year, with loads written in, elastic bands and paper clips, stuff stapled in. I was fascinated by it!

I have that red one too. I'm on my second...

I tend to get the wrendale Christmas planner I get sucked in by the cute animal photos on the front 🎅🏼 it's not the biggest but it works for me, and helps me keep track of what I still need to get, presents, cards, wrapping, recipes to try, days out etc. my DH also thinks I'm a little crazy for getting one every year but he will admit if it was left to him nothing would be sorted

I've ended up with an accidental Christmas planner - I realised I was using mostly the same A5 book so last year I cut out any pages from other books and stuck them in and then covered the whole thing in understated Christmas paper aka first week of school.

Oh and I always finish the year by writing myself a letter to be read in September the following year about what I need to replace, what worked well, what to do differently etc

We have everything on spreadsheets and they were set up by DH! He loves Christmas planning with me, I adore him.

We have separate ones for presents, food and traditions. The food menu one gets a new one each year but they are all saved in the same folder so we can look back. We always have a week of food that we don't really change which used to coincide with school break up so starting on the Saturday. Each year on the menu spreadsheet we have feedback notes on it because the children have grown up and their tastes have changed.

I also have a food shopping spreadsheet divided into buy aheads which are stashed in a specific Christmas food box and I have the rest in sections so fridge, fruit/veg, freezer, stock cupboard. In fact one year I had just finished my Christmas food shop and bumped into a friend who then saw my printed list in my shopping bag in the trolley, I earned a whole new level of respect. It is also accessible on my phone so I can add things to it if I see anything or think of anything.

The traditions one is so we know what we are doing. I like to gradually build up to Christmas day so 1st December is the wreath and the advent calendar. Then later we add in the Christmas tree and later the dining room table cloth change (snowflake oil cloth) and we have a specific Christmas Eve tablescape too so it changes completely. I love Christmas. I would like a book but it would just feel too much although an online planner would be brilliant.

If a man has a Christmas planner, it probably says one thing.

'Buy present for wife'.

I have an A5 bullet journal (with a red cover and lots of Christmas stickers) Love looking back over the years it’s a planner/memory keeper.

Sorry, I like a paper system too but it's printed out printables from the Organised Christmas website mixed with regularly updated and reprinted copies of my excel spreadsheet for gifts/budget. And handwritten lists of cards to send this year. Just thrown into a pouch with elastic to hold it together some years, or actually ring punched and put in an A4 small binder on really organised years.