Here are a two simple ways that you and your family can find sanity in the midst of awaiting or playing Santa.

I. Poll the family to decide how the holidays will be spent. You can either use the poll chart provided on the ADDitude Magazine website (www.additudemag.com/pdf/holidaychart.pdf) or make your own. To make your own, use a full sheet of paper and:

1. Write a list of possible holiday activities down the left side (e.g., Baking, Send Christmas cards, Decorate House, Put Up Christmas Tree, Visit Relatives, Attend Religious Service, Watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” together, Have a Party, Put On A Family Play);
   
2. Create a grid by writing the names of all family members old enough to participate across the top;
   
3. Have each person rate each item on a 3-point scale: 1=very important; 2=not so important; 3=unimportant. Everyone is limited to only two “1’s”.
   
4. Work to accommodate everyone’s “1’s” into the holiday schedule;
   
5. Then fit as many “2’s” as possible.
   
6. Forget the “3’s”.

II. Make a Countdown Calendar to keep everyone on target. This is a simple but highly effective way of making sure that important tasks and commitments are not forgotten. Here are the steps:

1. Use a ready-made monthly calendar with large daily squares for the month(s) until the deadline. I’m assuming Christmas Day here, but the technique can be applied to any event that requires lots of preparation. You can also print out a blank calendar for each month from software such as Outlook.
   
2. Write in all immovable dates and high priority items using red ink (e.g., flight date; arrival of relatives; all number “1’s” from above exercise).
   
3. Using pencil, assign all remaining tasks to specific dates. Use a system for indicating who is responsible for each task (e.g., colored pencil for each person; putting initials by each task).
   
4. Post the calendar(s) where the entire family can see it (e.g., frig door).
   
5. Put a large X across each daily box as the date passes so that you can see at a glance how many days are left until your big day. Move any unfinished tasks to another date, but work hard to keep this to a minimum.
   
6. If you do not already have a reward system for your children, create one for the Countdown Calendar. For example, each child can earn points on a chart or coins in a jar for every task that is completed on time. This will motivate the kids to participate more cheerfully and help the parents keep an eye on the deadline.
   
7. Make sure each task is very specific and appropriate to the amount of time available on the assigned day. For example, “purchase Christmas cards” and “address 10 cards” are small tasks that can be completed in a few minutes. “Do Christmas cards”, on the other hand, could mean several hours, especially if you have a long list of friends and relatives.

Decide NOW when you will have a family meeting to Poll the Family and create a Countdown Calendar.

More holiday tips are coming, but these two are fundamental to making the holidays joyful.