Helpful Holiday Hint #2

Microsoft Office Free ClipArt

First of all, while I have made progress on my list making and list crossing off from Monday, I have not completed everything.  So, I am still working on my tasks from earlier in the week!

Today's hint is about making a Master Gift List.  I type this list every year.  I title the document Christmas Gifts 2012, or whatever the current year is.  I use a table format with four columns.

Column 1:  The person's name
Column 2:  The gifts for that person (one gift per row)
Column 3:  A column with the heading "Bought".  I check this box when I have actually bought or made the gift.
Column 4:  A column with the heading "Wrapped".  I check this box after I have wrapped the gift.  This saves so much confusion, especially since my girls help me wrap presents.  How many times have you wrapped a few presents only to forget what you wrapped?  I stick on a gift tag and mark off the present as "wrapped" as soon as I put on the last piece of tape.  My girls know to either tell me immediately and watch me check off the "wrapped" box or check it off themselves!

I always print out this master gift list and carry it around with me as I am shopping.  I update it on my computer as I shop or wrap gifts, and when I am all done with my shopping, making, and wrapping, I print out one final copy and insert into my Christmas Binder.  It is so helpful to look at previous year's Master Gift Lists as I begin planning my current year's Christmas preparations.  It is almost like a journal---looking at the gifts I made or bought for my children over the years.

I really, really enjoy gift giving.  I like the planning, the buying of supplies for handmade items, the online shopping for toys, books, and games.  I love to wrap presents and make pretty bows for them.  I love to see my children's delight as they open their gifts.  I sometimes even have a surprise for Jimmy, and that is so much fun too!  I always have a gift or two for him, but it is hard to surprise him with the contents.  He usually figures out what the gift is before he opens it!

My master gift list is not complete.  I have some lists in my spiral bound notebook.  I have some lists on my phone.  And I have a partially completed master gift list on my computer.  Today's goal for me is to consolidate all of those lists into one master gift list on my computer and print it out.