We want to take the ‘sting and stress’ out of Christmas - by planning now you will not only save precious time but finance as well giving you the opportunity to relax, breathe easy and enjoy the festive season.
Use the plan add your family favourites to it and make it your own and simply..... Enjoy!!
Susan, Michaela and the team xoxo
ps - Girls remember to book for thefamilyroom LIVE – Christmas with the Girls! It’s going to be a fantastic night with great treats, a gift for everyone, stacks of giveaways and much laughter. To register simply call 1300 886 283 or call thefamilyroom on 9659 8582 for more information. We can’t wait to see you!!!!
thefamilyroom Christmas Plan
Week 1: Get Organised!
• Organise yourself.
• Set a holiday budget that everyone agrees on.
• Buy and write your Christmas Cards.
• Buy your wrapping paper, tape & extra scissors.
• Prepare your social calendar complete with menu’s and guest lists.
• Write your gift list – break it down to family, friends, colleagues, and neighbours.
• Decide as a family what charity you will give to this year.
Week 2: Here We Go!
• Write a holiday shopping food list – use our week-by-week guide and add your family favourites to the list.
• Buy and send your overseas gifts (if necessary).
• Clean up the back yard and get it ready for the holidays
• Create a space in the house for gifts and wrap as you go (rather than doing it all on Christmas Eve).
To buy this week:
Candy Canes
Nuts
Crackers
Chips
Pretzels
2 Bottles of soft drink
2 Bottles of wine
Week 3: Gifts and Giving!
• Consider your gift list and who you’re buying for. Check out ebay, online stores, local markets and other avenues for great gifts.
• Buy 4 more gifts.
• Book baby sitters for December nights out.
• Book your carpet cleaning for post holiday clean up.
• Check Christmas lights and decorations – replace whatever needs replacing.
To buy this week:
Fruit cake and baking ingredients
Sparklers
Extra Sunscreen
Aeroguard
Week 4: Get Cooking!
• Order and pay for your turkey, ham and or seafood.
• Buy and wrap gifts for teachers.
• Send Christmas Cards out.
• Buy 4 more gifts from your gift list.
• Order your tree.
• Bake your fruitcake & other goods that freeze well.
To buy this week:
Batteries for toys
Non-perishable items
Canned food items (sauces, salad dressing, mustard, etc.)
1 bottle of soft drink
2 bottles of wine
Week 5: Keep on top of Things!
• Play Christmas music from now until well after New Years.
• Buy 4 more gifts.
• Send out invites to parties you’re planning to host.
• Prepare a holiday house-cleaning schedule that works for everyone.
• Get your photo with Santa earlier rather than later (avoid the cues).
• Invite family and friends to school plays, etc.
To buy this week:
Shortbread
Biscuits
Panettone
Frozen Deserts
Chocolate
Week 6: It’s all Under Control – Relax!
• Make sure cameras and videos are in working condition and batteries are charged.
• Send email Christmas letter to overseas family and friends, try and provide an updated fun family photo.
• Buy 4 more gifts.
• Put up external decorations (wreath, lights in trees).
• Book in any hair appointments for the family.
• Clean the bbq.
To buy this week:
BBQ supplies (fill gas, matches, extra foil roasting trays)
Foils and plastic wraps
Napkins
Plastic cups and plates for kids
Canned Juice x 2
2 bottles of wine
Week 7: Time to Decorate – it’s feeling like Christmas!
• Buy 4 more gifts.
• Send cards for students and gifts for teachers to school.
• If artificial, set up tree and decorate.
• Bake Christmas biscuits with the kids and allow them to decorate and deliver to neighbours.
• Book in your necessary summer beauty treatments.
To buy this week:
Bon Bons
Tea Lights
Candles
Table Decorations
Week 8: The Wow Factor – I’m Enjoying the Season!
• Buy 4 more gifts.
• Pick-up and decorate tree.
• Enjoy some Christmas movies with the whole family.
• Take a Christmas Sparkle tour of the lights either in your suburb or head into town.
To buy this week:
Cooking Oils
2 bottles of Champagne
2 bottles of soft drink
Garbage bags
Paper towels
Week 9: Nearly There!
• Buy remaining gifts.
• Have a relaxed family dinner ‘alfresco’ and enjoy!
• Finish wrapping final few gifts.
• Go to Carols by Candlelight with your family.
To buy this week:
Fruit
Vegetables
Salads
Bread
Dairy Products (milk, cream, custard, Ice Cream, cheeses)
Eggs
Bacon
Stuffing ingredients
Juice x 2
Pavlova
Dips
Christmas Eve Merry Christmas – You Made It!
•Pick up Seafood.
•Cook your Turkey and whatever else can be made in advance.
•The only other thing you should be picking up today is bags of ice.
•Sit and relax by your Christmas tree with your family for a few hours, have a laugh and get early nights sleep.
Well done now relax and enjoy yourself deserve it!
© thefamilyroom 2006
ps - Girls remember to book for thefamilyroom LIVE – Christmas with the Girls! It’s going to be a fantastic night with great treats, a gift for everyone, stacks of giveaways and much laughter. To register simply call 1300 886 283 or call thefamilyroom on 9659 8582 for more information. We can’t wait to see you!!!!
thefamilyroom Christmas Plan
Week 1: Get Organised!
• Organise yourself.
• Set a holiday budget that everyone agrees on.
• Buy and write your Christmas Cards.
• Buy your wrapping paper, tape & extra scissors.
• Prepare your social calendar complete with menu’s and guest lists.
• Write your gift list – break it down to family, friends, colleagues, and neighbours.
• Decide as a family what charity you will give to this year.
Week 2: Here We Go!
• Write a holiday shopping food list – use our week-by-week guide and add your family favourites to the list.
• Buy and send your overseas gifts (if necessary).
• Clean up the back yard and get it ready for the holidays
• Create a space in the house for gifts and wrap as you go (rather than doing it all on Christmas Eve).
To buy this week:
Candy Canes
Nuts
Crackers
Chips
Pretzels
2 Bottles of soft drink
2 Bottles of wine
Week 3: Gifts and Giving!
• Consider your gift list and who you’re buying for. Check out ebay, online stores, local markets and other avenues for great gifts.
• Buy 4 more gifts.
• Book baby sitters for December nights out.
• Book your carpet cleaning for post holiday clean up.
• Check Christmas lights and decorations – replace whatever needs replacing.
To buy this week:
Fruit cake and baking ingredients
Sparklers
Extra Sunscreen
Aeroguard
Week 4: Get Cooking!
• Order and pay for your turkey, ham and or seafood.
• Buy and wrap gifts for teachers.
• Send Christmas Cards out.
• Buy 4 more gifts from your gift list.
• Order your tree.
• Bake your fruitcake & other goods that freeze well.
To buy this week:
Batteries for toys
Non-perishable items
Canned food items (sauces, salad dressing, mustard, etc.)
1 bottle of soft drink
2 bottles of wine
Week 5: Keep on top of Things!
• Play Christmas music from now until well after New Years.
• Buy 4 more gifts.
• Send out invites to parties you’re planning to host.
• Prepare a holiday house-cleaning schedule that works for everyone.
• Get your photo with Santa earlier rather than later (avoid the cues).
• Invite family and friends to school plays, etc.
To buy this week:
Shortbread
Biscuits
Panettone
Frozen Deserts
Chocolate
Week 6: It’s all Under Control – Relax!
• Make sure cameras and videos are in working condition and batteries are charged.
• Send email Christmas letter to overseas family and friends, try and provide an updated fun family photo.
• Buy 4 more gifts.
• Put up external decorations (wreath, lights in trees).
• Book in any hair appointments for the family.
• Clean the bbq.
To buy this week:
BBQ supplies (fill gas, matches, extra foil roasting trays)
Foils and plastic wraps
Napkins
Plastic cups and plates for kids
Canned Juice x 2
2 bottles of wine
Week 7: Time to Decorate – it’s feeling like Christmas!
• Buy 4 more gifts.
• Send cards for students and gifts for teachers to school.
• If artificial, set up tree and decorate.
• Bake Christmas biscuits with the kids and allow them to decorate and deliver to neighbours.
• Book in your necessary summer beauty treatments.
To buy this week:
Bon Bons
Tea Lights
Candles
Table Decorations
Week 8: The Wow Factor – I’m Enjoying the Season!
• Buy 4 more gifts.
• Pick-up and decorate tree.
• Enjoy some Christmas movies with the whole family.
• Take a Christmas Sparkle tour of the lights either in your suburb or head into town.
To buy this week:
Cooking Oils
2 bottles of Champagne
2 bottles of soft drink
Garbage bags
Paper towels
Week 9: Nearly There!
• Buy remaining gifts.
• Have a relaxed family dinner ‘alfresco’ and enjoy!
• Finish wrapping final few gifts.
• Go to Carols by Candlelight with your family.
To buy this week:
Fruit
Vegetables
Salads
Bread
Dairy Products (milk, cream, custard, Ice Cream, cheeses)
Eggs
Bacon
Stuffing ingredients
Juice x 2
Pavlova
Dips
Christmas Eve Merry Christmas – You Made It!
•Pick up Seafood.
•Cook your Turkey and whatever else can be made in advance.
•The only other thing you should be picking up today is bags of ice.
•Sit and relax by your Christmas tree with your family for a few hours, have a laugh and get early nights sleep.
Well done now relax and enjoy yourself deserve it!
© thefamilyroom 2006
13 comments:
Oh my gosh!!! This is amazing. I don't know how well i'll stick to this, but i am going to try my best. You have taken the headache out of it for me. Thank you Family Room.
From Kathy Lee.
thank you. i'm copying, pasting and printing now. this is just the think i needed.
well done family room.
This is great. Just wondering if you guys have a good fruit cake recipe.
Jane
Jane,
Your fruit cake recipe is coming, we're going to post 2 versions - the 'let it soak for 15 days version and the quick and easy version'. Keep checking the blog and you will find your recipe - all of our recipe's are tried and true so we go to the best sources to get them. Thanks for asking.
Susan
Saw you guys on Channel 10. Great stuff you're doing. Keep it up. Australia and other countries need some positive stuff like this.
Thanks Mates
Thanks for your comment anonymous. We will keep going in our 'fight for families' in Australia and beyond.
Your comment is encouraging. Thank you.
Susan
Thanks for the great guide to Christmas, I'm going to stick it to the fridge and cross things off as I go.
Anonymous,
I'm glad you've found the list useful. Let us know how you go.
Thanks for the comment.
Susan
Can you tell me more about The Family Room? Your thing on Channel Ten didn't really say.
thefamilyroom is a team of young women who are commited to seeing strong families emerge across Australia and beyond. Our goal is to provide simple solutions to everyday life. Families are struggling under the current social and economic pressures, our hope is to assist each family through this and build precious time back into their lives which they, in turn, can spend building relationships and family matters.
Thanks for your comment, we hope you stay with us and join us on this incredible journey.
Susan
Thank you for the list. I went out today and picked up my paper plates, napkins and a few goodies. Checked out Toys R Us and a few other shops to help me prepare my gift list for the kids. I'm going to brave ebay this week and see what I can find for others.
Thanks again.
thank you all so much this list is great and with fingers crossed christmas should be alot less stressful this year,being a shift worker day and night i never seem to find time to do the prep. needed for christmas.This year will be different.
this is great. saw you on channel ten - putting you in my favorites now. GREAT STUFF!
Jackie
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