Five weeks till Christmas

With five weeks left until Christmas, there’s still plenty to do to get everything ready for the holidays. Follow this guide.

To plan
• Your holiday menus (remember to ask if your guests have any allergies) along with a list of the ingredients you’ll need.
• A list of the wines and other alcoholic beverages you’d like to have.

To do
• Have family photos taken (to send in your holiday cards, for example).
• Make a plan for exchanging gifts with friends and family — consider choosing a budget or theme.
• Sort through your indoor decorations: throw away those that are broken, donate the ones you don’t want anymore and make a list of new decorations you’d like to buy.

To create
• Personalized advent calendars for the kids — be creative!