It's that time again. Holiday Gran Plan is in full swing. Week one started with making lists and cleaning off the front porch.
I'm a little behind (big surprise huh - LOL) The plan started Sept. 1st. While I'm still working on week one, my friends at Magical Holiday Home are starting week two.
Any who. Let me tell you what I've done so far. I sent out text messages to family and friends earlier today letting them know that I have started planning for this years's Christmas Eve dinner. Everyone responded within minutes. I was able to get RSVPs as well as updated address information. I think my family is more excited than I am.
With that out of the way I started working on other lists: Gifts, Parties/Entertaining, Menus, Freezer Meals and shopping lists.
This year I have 35 gifts to make. My dilemma now is coming up with gift ideas. I've given some really great gifts in the last 10 plus years but don't have a clue for this year. So far I have only come up with 15 gift ideas. I think I'm losing my touch. hahaha Hopefully some ideas will come to me. I'll need to somehow stir up a few conversations about gifts without them knowing that I'm looking for ideas.
After making a list of names and budgeting how much to spend for each person, I then started working on a calendar I created where I plug in all activities I have planned for the next four months. Tomorrow is my mom's birthday and my brother and I are taking her out to dinner. Then on the 18th is my brother's birthday and his wife and my mom have been working together to plan a dinner for him. I have a wedding in October and I am hosting an Autumn Celebration Dinner with a few friends that month. Also this year I will be hosting Thanksgiving as well as Christmas Eve dinner (This should be fun). The menu is all planned for Thanksgiving but I still have Christmas Eve and autumns dinner to do. I will talk more about my plans for Thanksgiving on my Harvest blog.
Next I moved on to making a list of freezer meals. These will come in handy as the holidays get closer, not to mention busy. There won't be time to create good home cooked meals regularly. I'm going out later this week to start shopping for some of the ingredients I will need. My meals will include lasagna, homemade chili (my favorite comfort food during the colder months), chicken enchiladas, chicken & biscuit casserole (another favorite), calzones, meatloaf, chicken & dumplings and pizzas. The pizzas and lasagna I think will be store bought...making it less meals I'll have to prepare. This year will be the first time I make chicken & dumplings. I love it but never made it myself. I was worried about making chicken enchiladas and storing them in the freezer, but after talking to the ladies at MHH, I learned that I can freeze them.
Tomorrow I hope to finish all of my lists. In addition to the two menus, I still have my shopping list and goodies list to get started. I think I may have already started on the shopping list. I'll have to check my notebook.
