last year, i posted a tutorial for making a simple holiday planner. 

in years past, i have always preferred altering a notebook. 

this year, i chose to start from scratch.  simply using supplies that i already have on hand. 

for this year’s planner, i used:

• chipboard mats for my front & back covers and as a divider between Thanksgiving & Christmas
• bind-it-all, using the red binding
• bind-it-all corner punch for rounding the corners (love this punch! it can cut through chipboard)
• cricut expression, using the “beyond birthdays” cartridge
• “marshmallow mist”
• ribbon
• self-adhesive metal closures
• adhesives (glue, double-sided tape, sticker maker)
• scrapbook paper (i used scraps of Christmas paper from last year’s projects)
• Christmas cards that i cut apart
• notebook paper (i actually cut pages from my past planners that were blank & resized them)
• stickers (file tabs)
• Sharpie poster paint pen (white) (love this pen)
• Sharpie pen (red)
• envelopes (old white ones i had on hand and craft paper ones for scrapbooking)
• flower embellishments that i made using paper, flower punch, brads, and misting spray
• Christmas themed diecuts

in other years, i have added lots of ribbon and dimensional embellishments, but because i like to keep this in my purse, i have learned that the more simple it is, the better it will “survive” the holidays. 

then, (because i love the marshmallow mist), i simply sprayed them slightly, just to add a little shimmer. 

my planner is divided up into the following sections:

• Thanksgiving meal planning
• Christmas cards (this is a new addition to my holiday planner.  not sure how i will list all of the names, i may print out the list and adhere it to the planner.)
• Christmas Get-togethers (pages for each party/menu/shopping lists etc)
• Make or Bake (this is for items that i hope to make/bake for friends & neighbors)
• Sharing Christ’s Love @ Christmas (each year, we choose a way for our family to help those less fortunate)
• Christmas Shopping Lists (friends/family)
• Gift List of those items bought
• Thank You Cards (i think it’s important to send thank you cards.  i’ve tried to teach that to my son.  whether it’s birthday gifts or Christmas or someone has just gone out of their way to be kind, we try to always send thank yous.  i’m not saying we don’t forget or overlook someone sometimes, but it’s always our goal.)  this section is new to my Holiday Planner.  i usually just jot down names on my to-do list, but i thought it would be nice to have it all in the planner.
• Receipt Envelopes  (occasionally the envelopes over-flow and will need another location at home, but i try to keep most of them in my planner.)

so, that’s my Holiday Planner 2009. 

in the hustle & bustle of the holidays, this is how i try to stay organized!! 

let the shopping begin!