Well, here we are – 7 days into October already!  I hope you’re enjoying the cool golden afternoons and beautiful chilly evenings of this Autumn.  It won’t be long now until “crisp” gives way to downright “cold” and we start to hear Christmas music on the car radio.  In fact – I was at Kmart last night, and they already had their whole winter wonderland set up – right beside the Halloween decorations!

To help us stay on track with our preparations for a Purposeful, Peaceful Christmas this year – we’ve created a mini-calendar of just the next 3 months.  Feel free to print out the following three sheets, and add them to your planner with the other printouts from this series.  Pretty soon we’ll be trying to pencil in school plays and parties, church functions, family get togethers, office potlucks, Secret Santas, traveling, cookie exchanges, and trips to the mall. (Did I make you hyperventilate a little, or have a full-on panic attack?)

It’s our hope, that this year we can sit down with our calendars and spread out the little “tasks” that must be done to prepare for Christmas. We’ll do our shopping along the way, we’ll make lists and menus, we’ll gather ingredients and supplies for our Holiday meals, we’ll scrimp and save with smart shopping.  And by being purposeful in these things, we hope to have PEACE in our hearts and homes this Christmas.

If you haven’t joined us in our Purposeful, Peaceful Christmas Series yet, you can read all the posts and tips we’ve shared along the way HERE.

To Download the Printable E-Book Click HERE

Happy Thursday everyone!  I hope you all are having a lovely week!

I am very excited about this next sheet to put in our Purposeful, Peaceful Christmas Planner.  We’ve already set goals for our family Christmas, we’ve set goals for giving, and we’ve made out a budget – but now it’s time to start getting down to the nitty-gritty…  creating our Christmas Card List!

Last year, I was so harried by December, I never even sent Christmas cards.  So of course, each card that arrived in the mailbox was a stab of guilt!  “Shoulda, coulda, woulda…” no more, friends.  This year – we’re starting EARLY!

Click the link below to print out a pretty planning page to help you start your Christmas card list.

The Christmas E-Book: PRINT

Why Start Now??

One of the great things about making your list this early – besides getting it out of your crowded head and onto paper – is knowing early how many cards you’ll need.  With that in mind – you’ll be ready to jump on any good deals that post, such as a free photocard offer.  Free Photocard deals don’t have to be for baby showers, or birthday parties.  Take advantage of them for family portrait CHRISTMAS CARDS!

Now all you have to do is get a current family portrait done, right?

Click HERE to download the printable E-Book Christmas Planner

We’ll have lots more to come in the series very soon, including a Christmas Card List, Gift Lists, Holiday Baking Supplies List, etc…. Working together, we can plan with purpose for a Peaceful Christmas!

Read more from the series HERE

The second printable page for your Purposeful, Peaceful Christmas Planner is here!

(If you’re just joining us for the Purposeful, Peaceful Christmas Series – start at the intro post HERE. See all posts from the series by clicking the Purposeful, Peaceful Christmas button in the sidebar.)

• Page #2. A Purposeful, Peaceful Christmas: Giving  Kid Version

• Page #1. A Purposeful Peaceful Christmas:  Goals

Click HERE to print the downloadable E-book Christmas Planner

Before we get into the hustle and bustle of all the present planning, meal supplies lists, craft ideas,sales, etc…  let’s take a moment to pause and plan how our families want to give this year.  At workshops and on our website we encourage everyone to become purposeful in giving, to include your children, and to make it a way of life.

So this year before we make any other plans, let’s reflect…..

Tis the Season….  What does a purposeful peaceful Christmas look like to you?  What is your goal?

Jump ahead 3 months to Christmas Night.  As you crawl into bed, when all is finished, imagine jotting down how your Christmas went this year.  Now go ahead and write it.  Yes right now!  I want you to have a tangible picture in your mind to hold on to while you prepare.  No pressure – you don’t have to write a novel – but just jot down some phrases and ideas.

Do you want to hear a couple of mine?  I’ll just give you just few items on my wish list:

I want to wake up Christmas morning, pull out that casserole I put together the night before and stick it in the oven before the presents start.  Then I want us to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus, like we did when I was a kid.   I know – it sounds simple – but daggonit, I just can’t ever seem to do it!

I want Christmas Eve to be peaceful and warm and cozy.  I want to pull cookies out of the oven (having pre-made the dough) for the kids to munch.  I want to get out my guitar and sing “Good King Wenceslaus” like the girls did in the “Little Women” movie. ( Because corny things like that are how traditions are built!)  And I want us all to cozy up together to read the Christmas Story at bedtime. (Without being elsewhere, mentally.)

I want the little gifts – like teacher and co-worker presents – finished and wrapped so far ahead of time that they don’t even make a blip on my Holiday Radar come the homestretch. I can devote that last-minute rush-rush time to some fun Holiday Baking instead.

We want you to write your story – the Christmas YOU want to have – and we’ll spend the next few months working together to make that happen. We even have the perfect place for you to write that story down (No – not the back of that bill sitting next to you!)

We’ve created a Christmas Planner for you guys! It’s a guide that you can download and print – and we’ll be giving it to you page by page as we tackle each part of the planning process. You can put them in a binder, or staple them together and use them to stay organized and focused throughout the coming months!  Just click on the image below to print a PDF of Page 1.

A Purposeful Peaceful Christmas
Click HERE to download the FREE Printable Christmas Planner

Your Mission: Write down your Christmas goals.