Reflection of Blessings from 2013

The holiday season is a good time to pause and reflect on the year gone by, give thanks for our many blessings and make resolutions for the future.

With so much to do during this busy time, I try to tackle my holiday organization like planning an event:

Twelve months out – Plan for purchasing holiday items on sale for the next year such as holiday décor and gift wrap. It’s always a good way to save on costs to hit the post holiday sales to pick up a few items for the next year. Additionally, January is a great time to create a holiday account at your local credit union to save up funds for the next holiday shopping season.

Six months out – At this point, you are looking at a whole new list of items to complete including planning out of town family visits, booking airfare – and don’t forget to start researching a charity to adopt during the holidays.

Three months out – Finalize your charitable contributions – whether you are donating to a charity or adopting a family for the holidays it’s important to have your plan in place early. Many charities require gifts and items to be turned in early in December.

One month out – There is much to do – putting up decorations, shopping, planning holiday get-togethers with friends and family and, before you know it, Thanksgiving rolls around and then it’s a few short weeks until January!

Finally, much like Santa, this time of year I am making lists and checking them at least twice!

Here’s to many blessings this holiday season. Cheers!