It’s March already?!?  How did that happen?  Oh wait, I lost track of time when we spent all of January and February snowed in.  Somewhere around the 400,000th time I checked the weather and saw a crappy forecast, I just gave up and stopped looking at the calendar.

But Spring is finally on its way, and it’s time for our very first Christmas 2011 check-in!  Remember how frazzled you were December 24th, and how you swore you weren’t going to let it happen again?  Here are a few things you can do right now to reduce next year’s holiday stress:Make your lists. And yes, check them twice.  Open up that notes file you made at the end of December and update it NOW- whom to buy for, what to buy, what you’re making and for whom and what materials you’ll need.

Be a stalker. Winter clearance sales are still happening – find them and shop NOW, but only for things on your lists. Winter-themed fabric and craft items, wrapping paper, bows and tape can all be had for pennies on the dollar right now, and winter clothing is marked down as well.

Take a class. Remember back in November when I said that wasn’t a good time to learn a new skill for making Christmas gifts?  Well, NOW is a better time, when you can get comfortable with your new craftiness and get a jump-start on the holidays.  Check your local colleges and rec centers, or barter with a friend – knitting, crocheting, photography, sewing, baking, and scrapbooking are favorites.

Clean out your fridge. If you’re doing any jarcraft for the holidays, start stockpiling NOW.  All those jars of salsa and jam with half an inch of goo left in them are cluttering your fridge, and no one knows how old that jar of capers is anyway.  Empty and scrub them and save them for fall – you’ll be happy you did.  Have an idea what you’d like to put in those jars?  Put sticky notes on them NOW, because I guarantee you have better things to remember between now and Christmas.