One of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself is time to enjoy the holiday season.
After years of literally dreading the holidays, while putting on a happy face and pretending that it's the best time ever...I decided to take back my holiday life this year and really, TRULY, enjoy it.
That's when I stumbled across the idea of a Christmas Planner through my endless scrolling of Pinterest. What the What?
When did this become a thing, and how did I (the queen of planners, planning, and all things organized) not know about it?
Then, I started thinking... there must be a Thanksgiving Planner somewhere on Pinterest. And yep, you guessed it, there are MANY! The one I picked was a downloadable purchase ($7.00) from Etsy and PeoplesLifeonPaper seller.
So, let's talk about the cost first.
It was $7.00 to purchase and download the content.
I have absolutely NO PROBLEM buying the download and here's why...
1 - Could I have used a freebie from Pinterest? Sure...I just really loved the colors and the 31pages of planning that this particular planner offered me.
2 - Could I have made my own planner sheets? Absolutely! It would have taken me HOURS to create them, and I know for a fact that I would not have made 31 pages, and I would miss some of the important pages (like the checklists) that I downloaded. PLUS - the blocking, the inserting of images, creating tables, etc...would not have been fun. I am NOT a graphic designer and this is definitely something that a graphic designer or self-taught designer can do. Me? Nope!
3 - I LOVE to support other small businesses on a platform designed to support small businesses. This country was built on small business entrepreneurs and they are making money to support their families, give to charities, and support other small businesses. I like passing that along.
4 - Finally... $7.00? For 31 pages of graphic rich material? That is literally $.23 a page. That's cheaper than Staples charges to print a page in black and white! Plus, considering that I have ALL the other materials, this planner cost me...$7.00!
So let's get assembling...
First thing was to print the pages that I wanted from the planner. I did not use all the pages, but I did use most of them. I printed the cover and cut off the white edges. I wanted some of the designer paper to show on each side of the cover.
Next, I printed all the pages that I knew I would use.
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| These checklists were what I really loved. A great checklist ALWAYS keeps me organized and these really have been thoughtfully created. Similar to a wedding planner, they are organized by "weeks before," "week of," and "day of." See where this is going to make my life less stressful? |
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| LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these pages. This allows me to plan the menu and the pre-dinner appetizers. It has a space for noting that one of my guests has a mushroom allergy (severe, so very important info!), who will be bringing what to the our meal, and WHERE each recipe is located. Because several of my recipes are on Pinterest, in cookbooks, and on my photo roll, I will need to be able to access them without stress. I will most likely print the recipes, laminate them, and then place in this section of the planner. |
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| These pages are handy for planning the decor. I'm going with an alternative color scheme this year: Rose Gold, Creme, Soft Olive, and Khaki. I've been gathering things along the way and this will help with setting the table so that it's "Pin Worthy" for Pinterest, but also a treat for my guests as well. A beautiful table is the setting for great food and great conversation. It makes guests feel special and makes the meal all the more special. Remember, we "eat" with our eyes first! |
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| These pages will be my Bible on the day. It will also help with the many cooks and helpers in the kitchen as it will be an easy reference for them as well. I will have the day mapped out by time, including the cooking, which will help things arrive hot and ready to the table. I can even create a "chore" list so that helpers can pick a chore and get that done without me having to verbally direct and stop what I'm doing. |
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| These pages will allow me to spread out the needed tasks and have things prepped well before hand. There is even a Cleaning checklist so that I am ready on that front as well. I don't know about you but I NEVER see that speck of dust or cobweb UNTIL about 5 minutes before guests arrive...ugh! You too??? |
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| Last, but not least, there is a notes page that can be printed multiple times and placed wherever you'd like. I put it in the front of my book so that I can jot things down on the fly. As I return to the planner I can add those notes where they need to go. It would also be a great place to write gratitude quotes and personal memories of Thanksgiving. |
Once I picked my designed paper from my copious stash of card-making supplies, I went to work.
This Happy Planner hole punch and Scotch Laminator, 3ml Sheets and 5ml Sheets are office supplies that I could not live without. The laminator is used for everything from sealing our insurance cards to protecting recipes to making covers for my Happy Planner obsession. The hole punch allows me to punch the ring holes into so many things that make their way into my planners and organizers.
I used the laminator and 5ml sheets to make the front and back of the planner. These make the covers very sturdy. The divider pages used the 3ml sheets. The hole punch was used to make the holes for the rings so that the book came together neatly and well lined up.
I've marked the hole punch so I know where to line up the edge of the laminated sheet. This keeps things uniform all the way through.
Here's the cover taking a nice hot roll through the laminator. It is set on the 5mil setting so that the front and the back heat seal correctly. This particular laminator has settings for both mls. It also has a quick release button in the event that something goes in at a wonky angle. I just recommend you line it up with the groves on the side of the opening. It laminates at a slow pace, so you have time to place it exactly how you want it. It won't "grab" it from you when you place it in the slot.
And just like that, both covers, the 6 dividers, and all the pages are ready to assemble.
At this point, I needed to make the divider tabs for the divider sheets so I used my brown Sharpie marker and Post-It sticky tabs.
The easiest way to line them up is to place all your laminated sheets in the order that you want in your planner. Start with the first divider and then just eyeball them as you ascend down to the next divider. You could measure and all that...if that's you thing, but it's not mine. I'm good at the "eyeball" method and although I'm fairly obsessive about organization I'm not THAT obsessive...just saying.
Next, I placed all the dividers and pages together and began the easy process of putting the arc rings into the holes.
The rings are universal, so scout around and see what you like. I've got the ARC system, Martha Stewart, and Happy Planner rings. They come in a variety of colors and sizes. These are Happy Planner rings in Rose Gold. Perfect for my color choices this year.
And with that done...
Here it is...
The great thing about using the arc rings is that I can add printed recipes, additional copy paper with holes punched down the sides, a paper folder pocket from the Dollar Tree...anything that can be punched can be added, including photos of my table scape and printed photos from that day. It can turn from a planner into a scrapbook of memories!
Once done, I can remove the rings and use a binder clip to hold everything together. I will file it away and pull it out for next year to use as a guide.
I hope this inspires you as we enter this holiday season. If you are not hosting Thanksgiving dinner, check out the Christmas Planner that the same Etsy seller has available.
Making my Christmas Planner will be coming up on my agenda!
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