Setting up the planner
- Choose the Christmas or the Holiday version and the year. The year sets the December calendar and the line at the top of every page.
- Leave out pages you won't use. If someone else hosts the meal, you may only need the gifts, the calendar and the card list.
- Pick the currency for the gift and budget page, and the day your week starts on for the calendar.
- Download the PDF, print it at 100 % or actual size and keep the pages together in a folder or on a clipboard.
Working through the countdown
The countdown checklist has 9 phases: 6 weeks before, 4 weeks before, 3 weeks before, 2 weeks before, 1 week before, 2 days before, the day before, on the day and after the holidays. Count back from your main holiday day and write the real date on the heading line of each phase. Those dates turn the list into deadlines you can copy onto the December calendar.
Not every task fits every household. Cross out the ones you skip with a single line, so it is clear they were decided rather than forgotten, and use the blank lines under each phase for your own tasks, such as a school play or a visit to relatives. If you start late, do the first two phases together in one evening.
Keeping gift spending in check
Fill in the gift table before you shop: one person per row, an idea and the amount you plan to spend under Budget. Write the real price under Spent on the day you buy and tick Bought; tick Wrapped once it is ready to give. Add up both columns on the Total line every few purchases.
Gifts are rarely the only cost. The second table starts with food and drinks, decorations, cards and postage, wrapping supplies, travel, outings and events, donations and other, with Planned and Spent columns and a Total line of its own. The total budget box at the top covers both tables, and Left shows how much is free after both Spent totals.
Planning the holiday meal
Write the date, time and number of guests at the top of the menu page, then the dishes under starters, main course, sides, desserts and drinks. Note allergies and diets your guests told you about next to the dishes they affect. Go through every recipe and copy what you need onto the shopping list, ticking each line once it is in the cupboard.
The cooking timeline at the bottom is for the day itself. Start from the time you want to eat and work backwards: when each dish goes in, when it comes out, when the table gets set. The turkey cooking time calculator works out how long a turkey roasts by weight, stuffed or not, with a thaw time and a schedule. For more or fewer guests than a recipe serves, the recipe scaler changes every amount, with friendly fractions.
The calendar, the card list and more tools
The December calendar has room in each day for parties, school events and travel, and the table under it holds the details: time, place and what to bring. The card list has a numbered row per person with their address or email, and boxes for Sent and Received. The four boxes at the bottom count cards and stamps.
For a gift exchange, the Secret Santa generator draws names with exclusions and sends each person a private link. The budget planner splits your take-home pay into needs, wants and savings, which helps when you set the total at the top of the gift page. When the family eats out, the tip and split calculator works out the tip and each person's share. For gifts on a sheet of their own, the printable gift list adds a Given column and lines for gift ideas, and the advent calendar counts down December 1 to 24 with your own ideas.
Frequently asked questions
Is the holiday planner free?
Yes. Print it every year, for your own household or for the family member who hosts, as often as you need. There is no signup and no watermark; each page carries one small line with our web address at the bottom.
Can I print only some of the pages?
Yes. Under Pages to include, tap a page to leave it out, and the page numbers follow. One page always stays on. You can also keep every page in the file and pick a page range in the print dialog.
What is the difference between the Christmas and the Holiday version?
Only a few lines. The Christmas version prints Christmas in the page headings, adds a task for the tree to the countdown and marks December 25 as Christmas Day on the calendar. The Holiday version leaves those out, so it fits whatever you celebrate in December. All pages and their layout stay the same.
How do the totals on the gift and budget page work?
You add them up by hand. Write each gift's planned amount under Budget and its real price under Spent, then add both columns on the Total line. The table of other holiday costs works the same way. Spent so far at the top is the Spent total of both tables, and Left is the total budget minus that sum. The currency you pick sets the sign in the column headings and the line under the title.
Can the week start on Monday?
Yes. Choose Monday under Week starts on and the December calendar begins each row with Monday and ends with Sunday. The setting only changes the calendar page and starts on Monday when your browser language is not US or Canadian English or Canadian French.
Should I print on Letter or A4?
Use the paper that is in your printer. The page starts on US Letter when your browser is set to US or Canadian English or Canadian French, and on A4 for every other language, and you can switch before you download. A4 is a little taller, so its tables get a few more rows.