Do you need Christmas planner ideas? Creating a printable DIY Christmas planner can get you organized for the holiday fast.
Why?
Because you can print out exactly the planner pages you need (and want) from the holiday planner bundle you choose.
Let me show you what I mean.
Printable Holiday Christmas Planner Printables
First of all, think about what size of planner you want for the holiday season.
I created this planner bundle in 2 different sizes. Letter size (8.5×11 inches) and half-letter size (5.5×8.5 inches). These are US sizes but the international sizes A4 and A5 are very similar.
You can see my entire printable Christmas planner in my Etsy shop.
Decide Your Planner Binding Strategy
There are several options to binding your own holiday planner. You can choose the empty binder in the size you want and then print your pages to fit.
Which is what I did in this example. I found a small, half letter size binder for next to nothing and knew it would be perfect for a seasonal planner.
Or you can choose a planner or notebook that’s already filled with empty pages. In this case, print out your planner pages and glue them in the notebook pages as though each page is a sticker.
Both of these types of holiday planners are extremely customized, which is what those of us who are into DIY really like.
What To Put in Your Planner?
Here’s just a list to get you started. Because what you insert into your personal, printable Christmas planner is entirely up to you.
Christmas shopping lists
Printable Christmas wish lists
Printable Christmas budget tracker
Printable Christmas menu planner
Christmas treats to bake
Daily planner template printable
Christmas planner cover
Holiday decorations list
Christmas countdown calendar
Monthly calendars – dated or undated
Christmas Shopping Lists
Depending upon the size of your gift list, you may need more than 1 printout of holiday shopping lists. And you’ll want both online and offline versions if you’re shopping both brick and mortar stores as well as the internet.
A Christmas list template that’s filled out in a planner binder is something I can easily take with me when I go shopping. Either I can take my entire planner (which is why I love the smaller half-letter sized version) or I can pop open my binder and take the planner page itself with me.
I can also take a pic of the page and then it’s on my phone. Do whatever works best for you.
Printable Christmas wish lists
Of course, it’s difficult to do the family shopping if you don’t know what people want. Enter the wish list. Print out several, pass them around. Some people may need 2 copies.
Printable Christmas budget tracker
This is when the holiday budget tracker becomes indispensable. I’ve designed a very simple budget tracker. It’s made to keep totals only – so you can see at a glance where you’re at.
You can keep track of individual gift budget’s on the gift list planner pages.
A Christmas budget is a personal thing and as such, everyone has their favorite way of managing their money at the holidays. Pick what works for you; that way you’ll stick with it.
Printable Christmas menu planner
This is also known as a meal planner template so if you’re searching online for one, use those keywords, too.
The meal template I designed has a built-in holiday grocery list right on the same page. I like that because then I can remember which ingredients are going to be needed for which meal. Makes things much easier when I’m organizing my meals for multiple people.
I print out as many copies of the menu template as I need for the biggest meals of the holiday season.
What Christmas treats are you baking?
You’ll be able to remember that – and actually get them baked – if you have planned out your treat list in advance. Being written in your Christmas planner means you don’t have to keep it all in your head! I really like that a lot.
Daily planner template printable
We all have a daily task planner to do list; but when it comes to the holidays, you’re going to want a separate one in your holiday planner with all the extra seasonal information that comes up at this time of year.
I design undated daily planner inserts, but you can certainly find dated ones easily online. Being undated, I can print mine out year after year.
Christmas planner cover
Another reason I prefer a printable Christmas planner bundle is because it’s easy to change out covers from year to year or even season to season.
On my holiday planner set I designed 3 different covers so my customers can choose what they enjoy most.
Often I’ve purchased made-for-you planners that I like some of the inside and not the cover. Or the other way around. Makes me like the versatility of the printable planners and journals.
Holiday decorations list
I don’t always have new decorations each holiday, but sometimes old decor needs to be thrown away and the new decor takes its place.
It can be handy to have a place to keep track of those types of swaps, for both inside and outside holiday decorations.
These pages also give you a place to keep notes about your seasonal decor. For example, will you need to replace a specific string of lights after the holidays when the post-Christmas sales are on? A decorations planner page is the place to jot that down.
Christmas countdown calendar
Whether you call them Advent calendars or Christmas countdown calendars, everyone loves a fun way to count down the days til Christmas.
A countdown printable is a simple way to do that. You can color the days in, add a festive sticker each day or stamp each day with a holiday rubber stamp.
You can keep the countdown in your planner or frame and hang as a part of your Christmas decor.
Monthly calendars – dated or undated
Just like with the daily planner pages, I prefer undated monthly calendars, too.
I find having November and December are sufficient for me, but you can choose to start planning your next holiday season in January, if you like (that’s holiday spirit!).
Since I use the half-letter size planner, I just cut these 2 calendars in half before punching the holes I’ll need and popping into my planner binder.
(Do you enjoy using printables to decorate for the holiday season? Then you might like my post on using hand drawn printable letters to express Christmas JOY.)
Prepping planner pages for a binder
The process for assembling your planner pages is quite straightforward. Print them, trim if necessary (for example, my half letter size pages are printed out on letter size paper – 8.5×11 inches – and then cut in half to form the 5.5×8.5 inch pages), punch the correct holes for your particular binder, then put in the binder in the order you desire.
Creating dividers for your planner
You can use pre-made dividers for your planner or you can make your own. It can be fun to create a completely unique version of such a simple thing. I used card stock cut to the correct size, covered with scrap booking paper I already had. Then I added divider tabs I created with some rubber stamps.
Think out the steps ahead of time; even write them down and you’ll find you can create all kinds of things like this. If you make a mistake (I did!), fix it and move on.
You might enjoy the design process a lot.
There is a lot of variety in holiday planners
So much so it can be hard to decide what you want when you first start using them. What worked for me (and still does, since it’s an ongoing process), is to simply pick a diy printable planner and use it for the first year.
You will definitely find things you like – and things you don’t like – and that’s ok. That’s valuable data for the next time.
Write in your Christmas planner (on a Notes page) what you want to improve for the next year and then when the time rolls around, you can take a peek at last year’s planner and know exactly what you want to change for the new holiday season.
That’s how you become a planner pro.
Go for it! And enjoy your holiday season!
Would you like a free holiday printable? Then check out my holiday red berries post. You may like it.
