The To Do List - Your Road to Sanity

Christmas is fast approaching. Fast? It’s like watching an avalanche head right for you.

If you’re feeling panicky, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I learned that from Sesame Street.

My mom was the only person I’ve ever known personally who was ready for the holiday days before. In fact, once when Christmas fell on a Monday, she actually said, “Christmas on a Monday is so hard—you have all the work done by Friday, and then you have to wait two long days for Christmas morning.”

She was serious.

At that point in our lives, we were thrilled to have every minute possible to get ready, especially when we were hosting. I remember when Christmas was on a Sunday, and we got to drop the kids at Sunday School and frantically put finishing touches on the house and get the food going. It’s amazing what two motivated people can do in an hour.

I think we all dream about hosting a special occasion of any kind calmly, without last minute rushing. It doesn’t have to be a dream. I’m going to show you how to get organized and make it happen.

Use your computer if that works better for you. For those of you like me, get several sheets of paper. Make lists of everything you need to do-- buying gifts and wrapping them, menu and shopping list, food prep.  Everything you can think of and each category on a separate sheet. It’s important that the lists make sense to your personal way of operating.

Working with one sheet at a time, write down each step needed to complete the job. Don’t get carried away but make it fairly detailed. It’s good to have a few things that can be done in five or ten minutes. You know you’re moving forward when you can cross something off.  

Don’t be surprised if you need more than one piece of paper for some of your categories. Be sure to use a second sheet. Writing on the back is asking for trouble—it’s easy to forget anything is there. It’s helpful to post these lists somewhere—the fridge, a bulletin board, an empty wall. Any place that will keep it in sight so you can’t pretend it doesn’t exist. It’s one of the reasons I like paper—everything you need to do is always in front of you.

Who am I kidding? It’s too close to Christmas to start this. Maybe if we started in July like the stores do, it might work. But who’s thinking about Christmas in July? If you are, you have your own system that obviously works beautifully.

I was hoping that if I wrote down the ideas that were floating around my head, it might help me. But I can see that this is too involved even for me, the To Do List Queen.

I’ll just have to do what I always do. Make a list that says Cards, Gifts, Wrapping, and Decorations. And I’ll definitely write out the menu—when I’m surrounded by guests, it’s too easy to leave something to burn or boil over.

My best advice is to do the most important jobs first. As Christmas approaches, you’ll find that much of what you thought you wanted to do no longer seems important. It’s a great relief because there’s no way in the world you’re going to get it all done.

So, do what you usually do. And try to enjoy what’s done instead of stressing over what you didn’t get to.

I eventually figured out that nobody noticed what I was worried about. They’re unwrapping gifts and talking and eating—basically, having a great time.

And so should you.