Whether you have been getting ready for the holiday season for several weeks or you are just joining us today - you will be happy you are on board the get ready early train! My overall plan was to be ready by now but I have learned that it is just not possible - focusing on the end of November is more realistic and I have modified my plans to correspond with my old goal date.  Of course my week is the same, I just have a few more to get what I need to do done so why not join me….
Mondays - this is my wrapping day and I hope it will be your wrapping day too. Most of us have time on the weekend to shop so Monday is a good day to regroup and get what you have purchased - wrapped and put away. If you are just getting going you should check to see what you have in the way of wrapping supplies. If you need anything and can afford the purchase and the time - go out and pick up what you need so you can steal away a little time tonight after the kids are in bed. If you have been saving gifts for awhile and have a stack - pick a really great movie and spend the evening wrapping. Wrapping in November is so much nicer than wrapping on Christmas eve!  Get it done - if you have a gift in your house WRAP IT!!!!
One thing I would like to say for anyone who has missed it or is just joining us - track your gifts. DO NOT sign a gift with a special name if you think there is a chance that someone might see it - I remember finding a gift and I was heart broken! Instead, leave those gifts and you can quickly go through them on Christmas eve when you pull out your bags of gifts. When you track the gifts you should have a master list of who you are buying for, what you have bought or will buy and something that tells you if the purchase has been made and if the gift is wrapped. I like to use stickers to identify specific gifts - sometimes I want the kids to open something first or last and the sticker helps me when I get to the putting the gifts under the tree stage. Just make a note of what the sticker looks like and make sure you don’t double the sticker! Do not use stickie notes - they can fall off and leave you wondering what is what.
One other thing to note - keep an envelope for all gift receipts and make a note on the actual receipt so you can easily find it if you need to return or exchange after Christmas. Keep the envelope somewhere safe - I like to keep mine in a pocket of my gift wrapping centre. For those of you who missed it, this is a photo of what I use. It is just a garmet bag (thanks to flylady for her advice several years ago) and the pockets help me to organize the things I use: tape, scissors, tags, bows and ribbons and the tall rolls or paper, tissue and bags.
Good luck with your wrapping - you will be really glad you got it done - so do it tonight and post your success to inspire others!
