Holiday Notebook CHALLENGE!

[zchristy]

If you're a newbie who has always wanted a Christmas notebook, an old pro whose notebook needs some refreshing or anything in between! Each week I'll post a new topic or section to focus on and we can discuss our individual notebooks, ideas or progress.

What better way to pass the dullness of winter, than bringing a little Christmas into our lives? :globe:

If you want to take part, post here and introduce yourself! Tell us a little about your current notebook situation - Do you have one? Are you new to notebooking? Are you making one for a friend? Let's hear where you're at!

Who's with me?

 

[momof4]

I'm with you! I love hearing about others notebooks!

I've had a Christmas Notebook of some sort for several years (5 or 6 maybe?). It started out in a manila folder and is now a section of my seasonal Winter Notebook. It is now definitely outgrowing the shared space and I've been thinking of starting a notebook just for Christmas. I've got everything for inside, but I'd need a separate cover and maybe new dividers. :skate:

 

[coffeenut]

I have sort of a Christmas note book that I use. I need to get it better organized by topic. I want to redo the whole thing

 

[zchristy]

ink: Wooot! Glad you're up for it!

I should add one thing - when you introduce yourself, tell me also what sections your notebook has currently! It will help me shape each weeks discussion.

 

[MrsSoup]

I have a Christmas Notebook. I made it for Christmas 2007 and loved it. So this will be my second year using it. I have already cleaned it out and printed new forms, just need to get them in there and rearrange some things and take out some things I don't need.

Right now my sections are as follows:

*Table of Contents
*Calendar
*Shopping Lists
*Gift Lists
*Stocking Stuffers
*Christmas Countdown
*Decoration Inventories
*Magic Elves
*Christmas Fairies
*Holiday Grand Plan
*Holiday and Houseworks Plan
*Address Book/Christmas Card List
*Recipes
*Swaps
*Crafts
*Receipts
*Gift Basket Themes
*Helpful Websites
*Favorite Books/Movies
*Rudolph Club

Not all of these are in use. I added several but never put in any information so I need to assess which ones I really need and which ones I don't and won't use and take those out.

I'm also working on a Christmas Notebook as a birthday gift for my mom at the end of this month.

 

[jmgconner]

I'm in! I discovered Christmas notebooks 4 years ago when I was due Christmas day with my second child. I knew that I'd never make it through Christmas if I wasn't organized. It was by far the most organized, easiest Christmas ever. I became a true believer that year. Each year since I've tried to be as organized as that first year, but I let my Christmas notebook slip - and I always think to myself "I wish I had written that down in a notebook".

I don't have any real sections in my notebook anymore. The things I remember helping me years ago was a page protector for receipts, an address book, and a list of stocking stuffers and gifts.

Thanks for heading this up! I'm looking forward to it!

 

[Santa Baby]

Christmas 2008 will be my first time using the Christmas notebook - so I am a newbie!! I completed the Christmas 2007 review pages and the 2008 Resolution page, but other than that I only have some title pages. The ones I have are:

Forms
Notes
Address Book
Holiday Grand Plan (with all the weekly pages)
Christmas Recipies
Rudolph Day

Santa Baby

 

[happy2bme]

I have had my notebook for 4 years now and would be lost without it. I am always changing things to suit my needs and love hearing how others have set up their notebooks.

I have my notebok divided into these sections:

Houseworks Holiday Plan
Christmas Countdown
Budget
Gifts
Food
Cards
Decorations
Family/Home
Traditions
Christmas Past

"heartstrings: Melanie

 

[Gadler]

I'm in! I love Christmas notebooks too and have had one for about 5 years. Mine got so big that it has been divided out into other notebooks - eg my Houseworks note book has the Grand Plan and all the other cleaning plans in it. My Christmas note book has:

- Calendars
- Master gift list
- Gift closet
- Christmas card list
- Budget
- Some recipes, although I also have a recipe notebook as well
- Articles from OC (I call this section "reference")
- Decor
- Rudolph

Cheers from Aussieland
Gail :skate:

 

[Basket]

I have a notebook on my PC - it`s grown up the last years. I use lists in Excel for this.
So it is like a paper notebook, I write the themes on the tabs and coloured them
and print out what I need.

Now I sort it all for the three passes of a Cleaning session - one includes Easter, second the summer activities and the third Halloween, Advent and Christmas. It is possible for me to change the contents to occurences/ events.

 

[jackfrosty]

Mine is a MESS! I have good intentions! My countdown notebook was in good shape but now I'd like to combine it with my Holiday Notebook and Monthly magic. I keep a household notebook ,of sorts ,seperatly. I have a section for each holiday and celebration that is broken down within itself for countdowns, lists, recipes, and tear files-but I definatly need guidance! Thanks so much for taking this on zchristy! :jumpinghearts:

 

[gllatshaw]

I started this past Christmas with the Christmas Countdown from OC. The dividers I have are the weekly themes for the countdown, and some of the forms. But somewhere along the way I quit using it. I really want to "get it together" for 2008. I'm up for this challenge and thank you so much for starting it.

 

[momof4]

Right now my sections are labeled:

• gifts - lists, ideas, budget, receipts
  holiday grand plan
  magic elves
  cards - lists, notes for yearly letter
  media - book, video, website lists
  dinner - recipes, plans, ideas for holiday dinners
  reference - odds & ends for future ideas

 

[campncook]

I love my Notebook and have learned my lesson this year about how important it is! I made my Notebook, as I have in years past, but did NOT follow it! I was NOT totally organized...never, never again will I NOT follow my organized Notebook! :huh:

 

[gllatshaw]

As I read this post about the challenge, I looked at my HN and was wondering if you could address the problem of not being able to see the tabs on the side if you put pages in protectors, and if you put tabs on the protector, they stick out of the notebook and get bent and torn. This bugs me - or maybe I'm just a little OCD?!

 

[Snowbelle27]

I have used a Christmas Notebook for several years now and find it invaluable. I developed it more for 2007 after finding OC. For 2008 I have decided to split it up as it's getting too big to handle. I've decided to split it into Christmas Recipies (notebook 1), Holiday decorations & craft ideas (notebook 2), Christmas Notebook (notebook 3). The sections I have in the main notebook are:-

Holiday Grand Plan
Calenders
Address Book - Christmas card list, gift list
Notes - Useful website, our holiday traditions. de-briefing
Rudolph Club

I'm hoping to develop the Magic Elves for 2008 so will have to add this in somewhere. Am always looking for ideas to improve this so will be reading this thread avidly.

:globe:

 

[santashelper]

I would like to start a holiday notebook. But haven't done anything about it yet. I am still working on my New Year's resolution to exercise every day!

It would be great to have a goal of working on one section every week, I could probably manage that!

Thanks for the help.
:jumpinghearts: :bigsnow:

 

[zchristy]

Hi everybody! I'm so glad there is so much interest in the notebook challenge.

A note to those just starting a notebook or making one for someone else - If you are just starting this process, you have some work to do this week before we start on specific sections.

Grab a cup of tea and sit down with the "Beginner's" thread: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1194

That thread will walk you step-by-step through starting to assemble your notebook. Once you have a vision, have ought or gathered your supplies and have a base notebook started, you can start to fill up and re-work your various sections as we work through them week by week.

So get a move on - we'll be starting with a specific section next week! This will be fun! :frosty:

 

[christmascreations]

Grab a cup of tea and sit down with the "Beginner's" thread: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1194

I already have mine "set up" but think I will join in on the cup of tea tonight...lol

 

[Santa Baby]

:bunny: I have my sections set up!! Yea!!! Looking forward to the next step!!

:heartbeat: :heartbeat: :heartbeat: