Tuesday, July 05, 2016

Christmas Club meeting!

My Christmas notebook
This past Friday, we had a meeting of our Christmas Club at a local library.  One thing we did was to bring along our Christmas notebooks and share some of our planning with one another.  I shared how I plan out my crafting according to category and make timelines for when each item needs to be finished.  You can read more about my planning here: planning for handmade gifts.
An example of patterns and lists tucked into a folder pocket
I made up some planning pages to share if anyone was interested.  I usually just make my timelines on notebook paper, but this is a little more neat and organized.  If you like, just copy the red and green text below and paste into a word processing document to use this list in your own Christmas notebook.
GIFTS TO MAKE

CATEGORY:


Name of project:

How many:

Materials needed



Finish by:


Name of project:

How many:

Materials needed


Finish by:


Name of project:

How many:

Materials needed

 Finish by:  

We also talked about how we make a Christmas list and how soon we start, etc.  I tend to start fairly soon after Christmas -- just make a list of everyone I need a gift for, including any potential gift exchanges, Yankee swaps, and so on.  Then as I think of ideas, I fill in the blanks on the list.  This is just done on a sheet of looseleaf lined paper so I feel free to scribble, cross out, erase, etc.

Then after Christmas, I copy the list (listing the gifts I actually gave, which may differ from the ideas I started out with) onto a nicer piece of holiday paper and tuck it in the back of the notebook.  This way I can't possibly forgot what I gave to whom.
 
One of my copied over lists -- sorry about the quality of this Kindle photo
We also brainstormed about making photo cards and photo calendars, when to start, how to find the best deals and so on.  And we nibbled on a few of the chocolate-dipped orange slices I'd brought to share.

One neat thing we did was to gather some Christmas items to give away.  We arranged these items (most were brand new, and some were vintage but new) attractively in a little nook in the library with a sign encouraging folks to help themselves.  The sign also noted the time and date of our August meeting.  We hope this will stir up a little interest in our Christmas club and bring out a few more folks for the next meeting. 

All in all, we felt July's Christmas club meeting was productive and encouraging!




6 comments:

  1. Your Christmas club sounds so fun! I wish I had a Christmas club to attend. I really like your idea of keeping a record of the previous Christmas in your notebook. That is something I neglect to do sometimes, it definitely comes in handy as the new Christmas season approaches. Thanks for sharing your Craft pages with us - another great idea!

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    1. It IS fun, Vicki! It's a very small group so far -- we just got started in January, met again in February, and then things went a little crazy in my life in March. For various reasons, we couldn't get together again until July 1. But it was good, and fun, to brainstorm together.

      Oh, you're welcome for the craft pages. The idea didn't originate with me, but I've adapted it to work quite well for me. Thanks for your ideas too!

      And yes -- it really does help to keep a record of previous Christmases. I keep it in the back of the notebook in a section called "Christmas Past" so it's not confusing.

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  2. A Christmas club? How fun! I like the idea of sharing Christmas items with others.

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    Replies
    1. It is fun, Lucie. A giveaway like we're doing is a great way to help someone else prepare for Christmas. There are all sorts of items on the giveaway shelf, from ornaments to craft kits. I like the thought that others can use things I don't want or need.

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  3. I'd love to belong to a Christmas Club in my area. I think I'll put out a feeler on my spouses' group and see if there's any interest.

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    Replies
    1. Oh, great idea, Pamela. Even if you only get a few ladies who are interested, it can still be a very good thing to do.

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