groups

____ Nov 6 Clear off the surface and top of your
refrigerator.

____ Nov 7 Planning Thanksgiving at your house? Issue
invites now so everyone has plenty of planning time. Also,
make up your holiday menu now. If you should decide to have
guests bring a dish, having your menu planned ahead makes
it easier to assign dishes.

____ Nov 8 Are you planning a live tree (either with a root
ball or in a container) for Christmas? Now is the time to
prepare the hole for planting, before the ground freezes.
Be sure to put your fill in the garage or basement to avoid
it freezing.

____ Nov 9 Do you have coats, boots and snow-pants that
your family has outgrown? Donate them to a local shelter or
coat drive.

____ Nov 10 Clean under and behind your refrigerator. When
you vacuum the vents and coils you improve the efficiency
of the appliance.

____ Nov 11 If you don’t already have one, purchase a
humidifier/vaporizer to add moisture to dry winter air.

____ Nov 12 If you haven’t already, get the whole family in
for flu and pneumonia shots.

____ Nov 13 Be prepared for possible power outages. Store
flashlights with fresh batteries in convenient locations
throughout the house. Make sure there is at least one in
every bedroom of the house at minimum.

____ Nov 14 Clean or replace the furnace filters on your
furnace. Before you start using the fireplace, have the
chimney and flue cleaned. This will ensure safe burning
throughout the season.

____ Nov 15 What’s lurking under your bed, or your kid’s
beds? Clear out that area underneath. If you need to store
things under your bed, do so in under-bed storage
containers to keep everything neat and organized.

____ Nov 16 Pack a winter emergency kit for your car. Pack
blankets, water, high energy food like granola bars, a
folding shovel, cat litter that can be used for traction,
emergency flares and so on. If your car has a block heater,
include a heavy duty extension cord in your kit.

____ Nov 17 Now is the time to hang your outside holiday
lights, before it gets too cold and blustery. It will go
much faster than it will when it’s cold and snowy!

____ Nov 18 Buy or make a table runner, placemats and
matching napkins for your holiday table.

____ Nov 19 Today is the 146th anniversary of Lincoln’s
Gettysburg Address. Spend time with the kids researching
and reading this document and discuss its impact even
today.

____ Nov 20 If you haven’t already, decorate your mantle
with autumn leaves, pumpkins and gourds and even pilgrim
figurines if you have them.

____ Nov 21 Do you have favorite soup and stew recipes?
Incorporate these into your menu plans. If fixed in a crock
pot, they make a hearty hot meal possible even when you are
in pre-holiday rush mode.

____ Nov 22 Take time to reflect on the things that you are
thankful for. As you head into the final days before
Thanksgiving, it helps to reflect on your blessings.

____ Nov 23 Check your frozen turkey for weight and
instructions for safe thawing so that you will have a bird
ready for baking on Thanksgiving day.

____ Nov 24 If you haven’t already done so, do your grocery
shopping for your holiday meal. Work on any dishes that can
be prepared ahead. Pick up any items you ordered for your
holiday meal.

____ Nov 25 Get every last bit of clutter off your kitchen
and dining room tables.

____ Nov 26 Thanksgiving Day. Count your blessings and
enjoy your day with family and friends.

____ Nov 27 If you don’t do your Christmas shopping on
Black Friday, spend the day working on a puzzle with the
family, or playing cards or a board game.

____ Nov 28 Spend the day putting up your Christmas
decorations. Involve the kids.

____ Nov 29 Today is the first day of Advent. Put up an
Advent Calendar and begin the countdown to Christmas.

____ Nov 30 Print out your Christmas card list and update
it with additions, subtractions and corrections. Then print
out corrected address labels for mailing your cards. If you
don’t have return address labels then print out a few
sheets of those also. This will save you time when you are
preparing your Christmas cards for mailing.

by Maria Gracia