Merry & Calm. — The Stress-Less Holiday Planner

Try this first: start with one list.

Gifts, food, cards, travel, who's hosting, and a budget somewhere in the middle. Most of it lives in your head, and that's the heavy part. You don't have to plan the whole season tonight. If you want a simple first step, try this:

• Open the gift tracker.
• Write down every name you're buying for this year.
• Next to each name, put a budget.
• Stop there.

That's the start of a plan. Merry & Calm. puts the rest on paper too: about 15 minutes to set up, then a few minutes a week.

Decide what matters

The CALM Plan sets out four simple priorities: choose what matters, ask for help, lock the budget, make room to rest. A holiday vision page sits alongside it, so the lists can follow from what you want this season to be about.

Money and gifts, in one place

A budget planner with planned vs. actual sits next to a gift tracker for 66 people, with room for the idea, the budget, what you spent, and whether it's bought, wrapped and given. There are gift ideas pages for when you're stuck.

Six weeks, one week at a time

Two month-at-a-glance calendars hold the dates. A 6-week countdown breaks the run-up into weekly priorities and to-do lists, so each week has a short list instead of one long one.

The practical pages

A holiday card list, a hosting planner, a menu and prep timeline, a grocery list, a baking list and a travel packing checklist.

The calm pages

20 screen-free family activities, 6 calm resets, kind ways to say no, and daily calm check-ins. At the end there's space for best moments and notes for next year, so next year's plan can start with what worked.

Print it every year

It's an instant PDF, 34 pages, US Letter size, and it's undated. Print the pages you need, as many times as you need, this year and next. It's yours to keep and re-download any time.

For after the rush, Unwound. is a 14-day stress reset. Any two guides get 25% off at checkout, no code needed. Not sure which guide fits? Take the 30-second quiz.

What's inside (34 pages, US Letter, undated, instant PDF)

• The CALM Plan: choose what matters, ask for help, lock the budget, make room to rest
• A holiday vision page
• A budget planner with planned vs. actual
• A gift tracker for 66 people (idea, budget, spent, bought, wrapped, given) plus gift ideas pages
• Two month-at-a-glance calendars
• A 6-week countdown with weekly priorities and to-do lists
• Holiday card list, hosting planner, menu & prep timeline, grocery list, baking list and travel packing checklist
• 20 screen-free family activities, 6 calm resets, kind ways to say no, and daily calm check-ins
• Best moments and notes for next year

Who it's for

• Anyone who's the default planner in their house and carries the whole season in their head
• People who want gifts, budget, food and dates on paper, not spread across five apps and the back of an envelope
• Hosts who need a menu, a prep timeline and a grocery list in one place
• Anyone who wants a few calm, screen-free moments built into the season's plan
• People who like to reuse a planner: it's undated, so it prints again every year

It's probably not for you if you want a pre-dated calendar or a budgeting app that does the math for you. This is an undated printable paper planner.

FAQs

When should I start?

Whenever you open it. The 6-week countdown fits nicely from mid-November (six weeks before Christmas this year is Friday, Nov 13), but if you start later, begin with the gift list and the current week's priorities and skip what's already done.

Do I have to fill in every page?

No. Print the pages you'll actually use. The setup takes about 15 minutes, then a few minutes a week.

Is it dated? Can I use it again next year?

It's undated, so you can print it again every year. The best moments and notes for next year are there so next year's plan can start with what worked.

Is the budget planner financial advice?

No. It's a simple planned vs. actual page so you can see what you meant to spend and what you did. It doesn't give financial advice.

How do I get it, and can I print it again?

It's an instant PDF download after checkout, and the link is also emailed to you. Print as many pages as you need, every year, and re-download any time.

Can I pair it with another guide?

Yes. Any two guides get 25% off at checkout, no code needed. Unwound. (a 14-day stress reset) pairs well for after the rush. Not sure? Take the 30-second quiz.

For organizing and general wellbeing only; not medical, mental health or financial advice.