My first Christmas post of 2010! Tips and links for a great holiday.

The holidays are here!!!! The holidays are here!!! Pardon me, but since I have had children, the holidays take on a whole new meaning. The magic from my own childhood has returned... times three.

So, consider this my first holiday post of the season... a random blend of Christmas links: preparing, organizing, cooking,

• If you have not started preparing yet, I absolutely love Organized Home for their printables of everything from gift lists to party planning lists. I created this perfect little binder that has helped me stay right on track this year in hopes of avoiding that week-before-Christmas drive to complete 8000 tasks in 7 days.

• In the vein of preparing early... start printing your gifts tags now to avoid the Christmas Eve "Oh shit I am out of printer ink" headache.

• Also, print out some thank you notes now because you will inevitable receive an early gift and, with notes on hand, you can send the thank you right away to save the stress off dozens of thank you's after the holidays.

•These Mad Lib thank you notes are super fun and great for any occasion.
•A Very Chocolate Wedding has some simple thank you notes in a wide variety of color choices.
•Blue Finch Studios has an adorable owl thank you note.

• Start shopping now for unique gifts so that you are not stuck giving a Chia Pet from your corner Rite Aid.

• Remember to stick with the experience gifts, they are the BEST!
• ...especially New England experiences.
• I offer 6 unique and fun gift ideas here.
• I made some fantastic hand made gifts last year.

• It is never too late the get in the spirit with some great Christmas movies.

• 2 more days until you start your advent calendar... how about one without candy this year?

• You might as well start baking now and get a jump start on your holiday weight gain.

Hope some of these links gave you a bit of inspiration for the holidays... keep an eye out this week for my very own holiday gift guide.