During December, holiday plan that I depend on is divided into four separate sections or categories. They are:

Cards Gifts Social/Community Obligations Decorating (Keep an extra copy of your gift list in car, because you never know where your daily travels will take you.)

Holiday Cards This year, if you have not already, transfer all of your names and addresses from your address book to a word processing file so you can easily print labels. My recommendation is to use clear labels, because they go with any choice of envelope color. Tip: if you are mailing over-sized envelopes, go to post office early to have a sample weighed so you can purchase necessary postage. (Don’t forget about adding those new friends and purging ones that drive you crazy. I especially like to purge those who can only talk about themselves and their stuff, how boring!!)

Preparing House So how organized is your house right now? So often people become overwhelmed with idea of entertaining; they get stuck as to where to start. Think about how your house will be used. Will this be a sit down meal in your dining room? Will groups separate into different rooms to talk or watch TV? Will your guests be staying overnight? Start early enough and focus first on rooms that will really be used. Don’t worry about ones that you think someone may wander into if they get lost on way to bathroom. Go through each room, one at a time. If there is a room that hasn’t been de-cluttered in awhile, sort through everything by dividing items into toss, donate and keep piles. This is a great time to make your donations and get that tax deduction in before end of year. Throw out items no longer needed and put away items to be kept in their appropriate place.

Think about who is coming to your house. If you have items that are breakable or valuable, consider simplifying items in main gathering room so you and your guests (and their children) don’t have to worry about accidents that could put a damper on evening. These items can be put up or wrapped up and stored in a plastic bin, which can be hidden in a basement or bedroom during party and brought out easily next day.

Depending on whatever else is going on in your life and if budget allows it, treat yourself to a cleaning service before your event. If funds won’t stretch that far, get whole family involved and divide tasks up. Another option is to trade blocks of time with a good friend. Also make sure you have enough supplies on hand (toilet paper, disposable hand towels for powder room, paper towels in kitchen, etc.) and that they are easily accessible if needed during time your guests are in your home.

If you give yourself enough lead-time and work at picking up and cleaning in manageable increments, you won’t get burned out and will only need to do a quick tidy day of your event.