School Activities:

* A Calendar To Keep Track. This is the easiest and most effective things you can do to keep yourself organized. Keep a large, wipe-off calendar in the kitchen or another central location in the house. Write the children's holiday activities and parties (and anyone else's for that matter) on the calendar. This way, everyone will be able to see who has an event scheduled. Having everything together in one place will also prevent you from "overbooking" your kids or having different events scheduled at the same time. Refer to your calendar daily to stay on track and be prepared for any event.

* Keep a running list. Your kids will be asked to bring snacks and drinks to their class party. They may also be asked to bring in special items for holiday craft projects in school. Keep a running list of items you need to get on the refrigerator so that you can do your shopping all at once. Having this list will prevent you from making several trips to the grocery store.

Gift Giving:

* Create a budget for your kids. If you will be providing money for your kids to buy Christmas gifts with, then make a budget. If your kids will be using their own money, it is also a good idea to help them set up a budget to keep them from spending too much. This is also a great way to teach your kids about fiscal responsibility and budgeting in a very practical and hands on matter.

* Make a shopping list. Sit down with each child and make a list of everyone they would like to get a gift for. Ask them to jot down what they are planning to get for each person and offer to help brainstorm as well. Don’t take them shopping without a list - you will either end up spending a lot more then you were planning on, or you will end up running around stores forever trying to find gifts.

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