12 Months of Christmas Challenge for January

Hello there! Happy New Year to you! I hope you had a chance to look back on 2014 and find that you were blessed beyond measure. I know I was. Always am. He never ceases to amaze me.

Anyway, I am back with the first of the 12 Months of Christmas Challenge. So how did you do with the pre-challenge? I did find some of those fuzzy socks I was looking for. Even found some that weren't specifically Christmas, so I can use them throughout the year. Woo hoo! We also picked up some filled stockings for our pets for next year, but not much else. I found a largish box to stash what we bought in, and to keep the craft projects I work on throughout the year. I found a spot in my closet for it, for now, but it may find a new home later.

So, here's my challenge for January. Get organized. Yep, that's it. I plan on making a notebook to keep all those recipes and ideas in one place. Somewhere for all the lists of what to make, what to buy, who to send them to, etc. I went back and forth on how to do this for quite a while. I, personally, love physical notebooks, writing things down and checking them off. However, I know that being able to access this notebook while I'm away from home would really come in handy, but carrying around a 3 ring binder everywhere I go, just isn't going to happen. In the end, I settled on using OneNote for my Christmas organizer. I can organize it the way I need, copy and paste ideas straight into it, and access it on my phone when I'm out and about. I also figured out how to put little "To Do" check boxes in front of my lists so I can check things off when they are finished. :o) Win-win.

I will post more about my notebook at the end of the month and how I decided to organize it, but I will tell you that the first thing I'm going to put in it is a list of who I would like to have gifts for next year.

Oh, and as I mentioned before, I plan on making 10 cards this month to go in my stash.

So, that's this month's challenge. Start putting together a notebook, whether it be paper or digital, put together a list of gift recipients, and make 10 cards. I can do this, and so can you! I hope some of you will play along with me this year. I would love to hear what you are doing and how you plan on making next Christmas a little easier, and more relaxing.

I just can't have a blog post without photos, so I will share with you an idea for an easy gift to make. These were little boxes that held a Hershey chocolate bar. The snowman hats and reindeer antlers were made from gloves, so it was kind of a 2-in-1 gift. I will have to find the template so I can put together a little tutorial for you.

What do you think? Cute and quick to make. You might want to keep your eyes out for inexpensive gloves this season.

Well, I'm off to start taking down the Christmas decorations and get my house cleaned up.

Till next time...
God's love and blessings!