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December, on one page

Christmas To-Do List Template

The December list has two halves and most templates only do one. This sheet starts with gifts \u2014 who, the idea, the budget, and two boxes per row, Bought and Wrapped, because those are different states and everyone has learned that the hard way \u2014 then three short lists for cards and mail, food and hosting, and decorating and travel, each pre-filled with the usual suspects. The Excel and Google Sheets versions count gifts bought and wrapped and show a percent per list; the PDF is red and green for the fridge.

Three formats

The Christmas list, three ways.

Excel — bought and wrapped counted

Ten gift rows with Bought and Wrapped ✓ columns and a count of each; three pre-filled lists with a percent apiece.
Christmas to-do list in red and green with a gifts table showing bought and wrapped checkboxes, and three short lists for cards, food, and decorating
PDF

Printable PDF

The festive printable: twelve gift rows and the three lists in red and green on one page.
Download PDF

Word (.docx)

The same layout as a Word document — keep it from year to year with the address list attached.
Worth knowing

Fill the gift table in November.

Every other list on this page can wait until December; the gift table cannot. Names and ideas written in November are the difference between buying what you meant to and buying what was left. The budget column is not there to be austere — it is there so the total is a decision, not a surprise in January.

Wrap as you buy. It is the single change that empties the last-week panic, and the Wrapped column exists mostly to nag you into it.

What it all costs
Holiday Budget Template
Gifts, travel, hosting — planned vs actual.
Open →
Cards to print
Christmas Greeting Cards
Printable cards for the mailing list.
Open →
The summer version
Summer To-Do List
Twenty things before school starts.
Open →

Frequently asked questions

Why separate Bought and Wrapped?
Because the gap between them is where December goes wrong. A gift bought in November and not wrapped on the 24th is the same emergency as one not bought at all. Two boxes make the state visible, and the Wrapped count at the bottom is the one to watch in the last week.
What is pre-filled in the three lists?
The tasks nearly every household has: address list, cards ordered, cards mailed; menu, the roast ordered, the big shop; tree and lights, outdoor lights, travel booked or guests confirmed. Each list has blank lines for your own, and the percent counts everything in the section.
Can I reuse it next year?
That is the best reason to keep it in Excel or Google Sheets: the gift table becomes next year's starting point, with who and roughly how much already there. Clear the ✓ columns and the counts reset. The Year field at the top keeps the tabs straight.
Is there a version for other holidays?
The layout works for any gift-giving occasion — change the title in Word or Docs and the lists to match. A general holiday planning page is on the list for a later pass; for now this is the one built around December.
Updated through September 2026