Christmas Planning Center

Our original fearless leader in the early holiday planning game, Cynthia Townly Ewer, affectionately known as CEO to her many readers over at Organized Christmas, has a good article on setting up a Christmas Planning Center. Read more here about her ideas!

I have my own version of a Christmas planning center. My base station is my kitchen table, which is where I'm sitting right now! I love, love, love my kitchen, and have worked really hard to decorate it in a style that suits us, as well as being functional. I'm still working on it...but I do love it! My kitchen is decorated in a loose French Country design, with golden yellow walls and my 28 year old chicken/rooster collection scattered all over the whole area. I was a rooster fan before roosters were cool!! LOL.

My kitchen table was a wedding gift from my (stay with me here-it's complicated) ex-but-still-dear-Sister-in-law's grandfather. He made it, stained it and even delivered it! He put legs on it, but when our family started growing they weren't functioning as well as we needed, so I bought an old table from a flea market and Lynn put the pedestal from it under our current table-viola! leg room! So now, it's my favorite work space in the house!

I can sit at the end of the table with my laptop and still have easy access to the bookshelf, the coffeepot and the laundry room, where my craft items are stored. I like the big double windows by the table, and the fact that I can look into the living room and see the fireplace. It's wonderful when the house is decorated for a holiday (any holiday, really) with a lighted garland of some sort on the mantle, and a fire in the fireplace. I usually put some spices-cinnamon and apple peels or cloves and orange peels are my favorites-in some water to simmer on the stove while I work. I used to be able to see the tv from there, but since Lynn bought his newest toy (55", people. It's a big*** tv!) it's in a place where I can't see it. But, due to the multi-room tv shift that the new one caused, I now have a small tv with a dvd player in the kitchen...perfect for watching "It's a Wonderful Life" or "The Santa Clause" movies....or just listening to Christmas cd's.

My current projects are in a lidded picnic basket, pretty enough to leave out but still have the "clutter" hidden. My Gooseberry Patch books and my Christmas notebook are easy to get to from my Center, and are in fact often stacked on the end of the table while I'm dreaming and scheming...I mean working!

I also can use it write cards, wrap gifts or just read Christmas books.

Consider creating one of these little organizing gems, if you don't already have a designated space!