Key to keeping the stress out of the holiday season? Smart scheduling--and scheduling smart begins with the family calendar.

Family activities reach fever pitch during December, when every work, school and social group in existence insists on holding a holiday function. Even if you never rely on a family calendar the other eleven months of the year, a Christmas calendar is a must for an organized Christmas season.

Today, set aside time to print a holiday calendar for the remaining months of the year:

Simplify Your Holidays with a Christmas Calendar

Welcome to 101 Days to Christmas! This daily Web message is designed to help you prepare for the coming holiday season, one day at a time.

This year of all years, the holiday season will see substantial changes for many families.  Will we evolve our celebration to match our circumstances?  How will we reach for holiday joy in a world that faces serious challenges? 

I'm Cynthia Ewer, and I believe in the value of celebration, even during the darkest days.  That's why I've put aside my retirement to return this feature to the Web:  to help families find joy in the holidays. 

As we have since 2012, we'll spend the next 101 days breaking down Christmas planning into short, simple daily assignments.  Working one Christmas planning tip at a time, we'll get ready for the holiday season gradually, easily and as part of our seasonal fall celebration.

Working day by day, we'll get organized, set a holiday budget, and focus on gifts and giving. We'll tackle holiday cooking, get inspired to decorate, and round up favorite family traditions.

Along the way, we'll share recipes, decor inspirations and holiday celebration ideas for a fun, festive holiday season.  After the season, we'll observe the 12 Days of Christmas, then pack away the holiday for another year.

And we're getting an early start!  Why start planning for Christmas now? Here are six reasons why starting early makes sense:

Too Early to Think Christmas? Starting Now Makes Sense!

Welcome! Christmas tips site 101 Days to Christmas is designed to help you prepare for the coming holiday season, one day at a time.

Beginning on September 15, we'll post daily get-organized tips for a simpler, stress-free Christmas celebration. Our daily tips are designed break down holiday planning and preparation into short, simple assignments.

Working day by day, we'll get organized, set a holiday budget, and focus on gifts and giving. We'll tackle holiday cooking, get inspired to decorate, and round up favorite family traditions. Along the way, we'll share recipes, decor inspirations and holiday celebration ideas for a fun, festive holiday season.

• To follow along, bookmark this page to read daily messages on our home page.
• Miss a message? Catch up to all the Christmas planning tips at the daily messages index.

Ready? Christmas is coming, so join 101 Days to Christmas, your day-by-day plan for a great--and stress-free--holiday season!

Looking for an easy way to prepare for the holiday season? Welcome to 101 Days to Christmas! This light and easy Christmas organizing plan begins on September 15.

I'm Cynthia Ewer, organizing author of Web site Organized Home, and of the books Cut The Clutter: A Simple Organization Plan For A Clean And Tidy Home and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Organized Fast-Track.

For all that, I'm not one of those folks who was born with organizational abilities; I've had to learn organizing skills the hard way! That's why I'm pleased to bring you 101 Days to Christmas, a site designed to offer a daily boost of holiday motivation during the 101 days before Christmas. That's what you'll find here: a simple path to an organized Christmas.

Beginning September 15, we'll post 101 daily messages of Christmas inspiration, motivation and fun. The idea is to make holiday planning short, sweet and easy. Won't you join me, as we prepare for Christmas day by day with 101 Days to Christmas? The fun begins on September 15!