Gettting Ready For The 2010 Holiday Season

Now that September is (almost) behind us it's a good idea to start thinking about the next few months and all of the holidays, birthdays, celebrations and parties that are going to be coming up fast and furious. A good game plan and some well thought out lists can help you make the most of your time and (hopefully) effortless holiday season without breaking the bank.

It's not too early to start thinking about Christmas but you shouldn't forget about Halloween or Thanksgiving. Oh, and don't forget to include thinking about yourself: a great overall plan includes your health and fitness goals as well - this way you can be at or near your personal goal weight so you can enjoy all those wonderful holiday meals and parties without fear of gaining weight, getting out of shape or feeling guilty.

(BTW: September/October is a GREAT time to be on a diet and (re)start working out: if you think about it: the only major stumbling block you are going to encounter until Thanksgiving is all of those mini-candy bars at Halloween.and if you play your cards right, you can have a few guilt-free pieces mini Snickers or Almond Joys.

Here is my personal (incomplete) list of how I plan to lose weight, stay healthy and plan for the 2010 Holiday Season that you can lean on to make your season fun, festive, budget-friendly and above all, simple:

• Lose those 15 pounds (finally) - diet, exercise (this is always on my list, but this year I AM going to do it!)
• Budget, Budget, Budget
• Halloween - costumes, candy, party, theme, menu, decor, guest list
• Thanksgiving - guest list, menu, decor
• Christmas - travel arrangements, dinner menus, recipes, decor, guest lists (if you plan to have a Christmas party or open house), Christmas cards (write/send), gift lists 
• Drill down on  who, what and how much you are going to spend this holiday season some ideas are listed below but feel free to add your own ideas too:
• major ticket items
• home-made gifts 
• charitable donations and volunteering
• stocking-stuffers
• co-workers
• hostess gifts
• anything else you can think of where/when you will need to give someone a little - or big - something
• Holiday events/parties that you will have to schedule for school, work, family and/or friends
• Pets - don't forget about about Buddy and making sure that he is well-groomed and has a few of his own treats under the tree

Looking over this list it might seem over-whelming, but don't worry, these events happen every year and even without a game plan you've made them work!  Hopefully this year you can lean on my 20 years of experience as a chef and event planner to help you make it all simple and fun!