Take Note!

At the end of each Christmas season, I take notes for the next one.  Sadly, I think that I will be able to remember everything that I want to remember for the next year, but I just can't.  Here is a list of a few of the things that I take note of:

• What was each family member's favorite activity?  I want to make sure that I include these on our Advent Activity Calendar next year.
• Were there any activities that my kids did not enjoy or that they seem to have out grown?
• How can I improve any of the activities or family nights? 
• What new ideas did I come across that we might want to try next year?
• Where have I stored various Christmas items?
• What crafts do I still have? This comes in very handy when I place my order from Oriental Trading the following year.  Without this list, I always over-buy because I can't remember what I have in the attic.
• What Christmas supplies do I need?  This also helps me avoid over-buying in the fall once the stores have rolled out all of their Christmas items, but I haven't gotten all of my stuff down from the attic. By looking at my list, I know if I need gift tags, wrapping paper, etc.
• What gift ideas do I have now that might work well for next year?  Often, I will see or receive a gift that I think would work really well for various people on the other side of the family.  For example, last Christmas, I received a very simple bookmark from my mother-in-law with my initial on it that I loved. I found out where my mother-in-law bought it and picked up one for each of the girls on my side of the family for stocking stuffers this year.
• What one Christmas decoration would I like to add next year?
• What aspects of Christmas did I really enjoy this year? 
• Where there any Christmas "chores" that were stressful that I might choose not to do next year?