The last celebrations of Christmas are over with the Feast of Magi on January 7. Now is a good time to sketch out some plans for next year while this year’s festivities are still fresh in your mind. Start a document on your computer or open up a fresh page in your notebook and record:

• what worked and what did not
• the best part and the worst part
• the dinner menu—last year I wrote a reminder not to serve squash. I ignored the warning and again this year had a large amount of a vegetable no one really likes.
• breakfast or brunch menu
• everyone’s favourite snacks
• Other food essentials to bake or buy
• what not to buy or make for next year
• everyone’s favourite pre-Christmas activity
• stories, movies, or songs that are ‘musts’ to get you in the spirit

Use Google calendar,  Outlook, or a service like TimeCave to send yourself reminder emails. Send yourself the list you just made. Write out the ingredients for everything you plan to make and send yourself a predated email with a grocery list. Do one for baking that you’ll receive shortly after Halloween and one about two weeks before Christmas with the Christmas Dinner grocery list. Use this method to remind yourself to do things like clean carpets, or make fruitcakes in August and other bigger jobs you want well out of the way before the holidays hit.

Plan what foods can be prepared ahead. Find a recipe you like for make-ahead mashed potatoes that can be frozen. Red cabbage taste better frozen and making it ahead ensures there’s no cooked cabbage smells in the house over the holidays. Prepare the bread for stuffing, with sautéed onions, celery and whatever else you like and freeze it. Prepare it fully for cooking separately, or leave out the eggs if you plan to stuff the turkey. You have a whole year to find recipes and experiment.

Before you do whatever you do with old Christmas cards use them to remind you who  you’d like to send cards to next year. To be annoyingly organized, address the envelope and put the cards and envelopes somewhere you’ll find them in time to be sent. This box of cards is on the top of one of the boxes of Christmas decorations that I’ll find when I decorate about December 6.  (The outdoor decor goes up close to December 1, indoor decorations around the 6th and the tree goes up about the 15th at our house.) I took photos of how I decorated this year, so I can remember where I put things.

When you pack everything up, on the top of each box of Christmas stuff, write down the contents of the box. Either tape securely to on the outside or lay it under the lid.

Do a bit of shopping. Decide now–fresh or artificial tree next year…this is the time of year to buy discounted trees. Replace that janky old tree stand (and any faded décor). Even fabric stores have discounted Christmas fabric to make runners, gift bags (no more paper wrap) and other linens and decorations—and you have a whole year to get done.

Buy wrap, cards and ribbons on sale now. Buying bags of multicolour bows and ribbons means you’ll have pinks, blues, yellows and other colours for gifts throughout the year and the reds, greens and other Christmas colours will be left for next year.

Vow to start Christmas shopping. Again, be annoyingly organized by wrapping the gifts right away…it will save time at Christmas discourage snooping.

Do you have ideas for organizing your Christmas? Leave your comments below.