Your christmas notebook

[Consideringparttime]

My mum had a christmas notebook that came out every year, it was one of those little red floppy handbag notebooks- specifically for Christmas. It had lists from each year in and receipts stuffed in etc

Unfortunately it was lost and I'd love to see it again with all her writing in
I have my own now- anyone else have a christmas planner or notebook?

Aw sounds lovely. I don't have one myself but keep telling myself I should get one! I have a gift list app to track things.

I don't know if the works are doing them this year but last year they specifically had christmas planner books. Wish I'd got one! X

I use a red A5 filofax with many sections. Updated every year but for example table decoration plans for each year go back to 2014.
I also decorate it with washi tape and stickers because I love christmas!

What a shame your mum lost hers.

I like the idea but I'm one of those who buys and stashes, my lot would be in utter shock if I didn't produce a pressie in January that I'd stashed in October 😂

I do have a Christmas notebook but it’s literally an old exercise book rather than anything Xmas themed. I think I might need to go and indulge in a little notebook shopping and then I could transfer my notes into a brand new, appropriately themed book!

What do you write in it? Like an inventory of who got what present? Recipes?

I do,mine isn't anywhere near as amazing as your mums sounded,I wish I was that organised.

Mine is a hardback notebook and in it I've wrote a list of each person's stocking(I have 8 to do)fillers that I've bought them,everyone gets a separate page and then I do the same with the present lists.
That's all in the back of the notebook and in the front is the lists of what I have to buy.

I also do a shopping list for the food and drinks and a list/menu for what I'm cooking/making for Christmas day and boxing day.

It helps me because this way I don't end up with scraps of paper/lists all over the place that I'd no doubt misplace.

I have lists on my computer but Mum used a notebook and I think she still does.
Only thing on my list are presents so I don’t buy exactly the same thing 2 years running!

Yeah my Mums was just lists so food lists, receipts of any big presents or things that might need swapping. Recipes or food lists , meal plans, then a page for each persons gifts, a page for what we were doing each day, card list etc etc

I like this idea

I realise I do christmas to excess but these are my sections.
To do list for each month from October. So all the things I can do as far in advance as poss.
Present section including parcel tracker list.
Stocking list section.
To buy section eg advent calendars, turkey foil etc
Meal planning and new recipes to try. Have a separate A4 christmas recipe folder.😂
Groceries lists. To buy ahead, frozen items and fresh food. Notes of GH best supermarket buys each year.
Christmas table section, decor, crackers, theme etc
Notes section (where I write down what we didn't eat/like the year before etc) or things to chivvy myself along so I clean the oven early.
Decorations section, where I plan different ways to decorate that I might have seen somewhere. Also xmas decorations list each box numbered and what's inside.
Christmas card list
Receipts section at the back.

I just use an ordinary cheap exercise book, with lists of what I need to do and buy, and roughly by when
Cards, write and post
Presents, list of recipients (fewer since we cut down adult presents) and what to get
Food to make/freeze/buy - first on the list are Delia’s mincemeat and 🎄puds, all this weekend
Decorations, down from the loft, check lights etc.
Front door wreath, buy plain real one, jazz it up
Usual arrangement of greenery from the garden plus candle, polish the copper bowl
Pre Christmas cleaning! Annual polish of sundry brass/copper/silver items
Buy (real) tree, etc.

I have a hardback notebook with sections like @RealChristmasBaby and @GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER. I tend to get it out in August and start preparing it. Each year has a decorative theme (the theme is only in the notebook, it doesn't extend beyond that!) and I love spending time drawing up the schedules and tables for each of the sections.

I love all this detail. I think I need a book to get out in September. I like the idea of sections too although mine might be by year
Do you lot buy in the sales and if you do, do you list them in the book?

Oh I love the sound of these. I do keep detailed lists but in a giant Christmas spreadsheet so mine is digital rather than a lovely notebook.

It does make things so much easier though. I have one tab for my budget so it lists who I have to buy for, how much I have to spend and then I add what I've bought and how much it has cost so I can easily keep track of money and who is buying what. It's also marks off whether or not presents are wrapped. The tabs go back years so I can also check what I've bought in previous years e.g. "Don't buy Auntie Janice a candle because you gave her one last year" etc.

Another tab is for food and has my supermarket shopping lists. It's broken down by food for the season, food for Christmas Day and food for our Boxing Day buffet. It's a lifesaver as I've edited the lists over the years depending on what works and what hasn't gone down so well. It's colour coded so I can mark it in orange (bought some but need more) or green (all bought.)

The final tab is essentially my address list as I keep it for sending Christmas cards and marking off who I've sent to.

I think notes like these (and particularly physical notebooks) are a great bit of social history.

I bought an A5 FiloFax type from Amazon , ideal as I can move the pages and discard them.
I start notes when I think of them
I have : pages
Things You Don;t Need
Food
To Do ( like Clean-A-Long)
Plans- evenings out , trips away
DS presents
DD presents
To Buy
Films we're going to watch
Shopping trip
Weekends from now till Christmas

Tomorrow I need to get some of the bulky things that I don;t want to leave till the last minute .

I have one, an A5 notebook that I ordered from DD's nursery with her christmas card design on it 😊 The first thing I do when I start to think about christmas is read it because I always put notes of things that did or didn't go well the year before. For example, don't bother with red wine it never gets drank or butcher sausages are better than M&S etc

My son bought me a Smythson notebook and I couldn’t think of anything to use it for that was worthy of its niceness.

2 years ago, I decided to use it for Christmas. I write down present lists for the family and, as we have a big Christmas party every year about a week before and a smaller ‘open house’ on Boxing Day, I write down all the foods we do for each one and the shopping lists. I also use it for Christmas dinner party menus as we often struggle to remember what we did. I note down wine orders too.

My husband stores all of these things on his phone, so it’s completely pointless - but I absolutely love writing (and my handwriting 😳). I’m so sad that I will only use a particular pen for anything I write. I’m basically a teenager.

And I note where I’ve put things like the Christmas crockery and table decorations as I completely forget. I do table presents, so I note down what I did for each person.

I'm interested to know if you follow your own advice about what works? 😁 Do you still buy the red wine?
Every year I tell myself not to buy smoked salmon, we never eat it, I end up freezing it close to it's expiry date and eventually end up throwing it away in July! Yet as it gets closer to the big day I start thinking 🤔 hmm shall we have some smoked salmon for christmas morning and the cycle repeats itself another year.

Mine has "You;ve Got Enough"
Hand Towels
Snowman Toilet paper

I have bought two new dishtowels though !

I have a spreadsheet.

I make notes on my phone and occasionally email them to DH. They are mainly my ideas and notes what’s worked or not previously. I make “to buy“ list, list with ideas for activities and put reminders for different dates into my calendar e.g arrival of Christmas cheeses in store.
I like the idea of a dedicated notebook but making notes on the phone works quicker for me and I can do them anytime anywhere.