Part of A Calm & Simple Christmas

The Calm Christmas Planner

A Christmas planner spreadsheet that keeps the guest list, the potluck, the jobs and the baking in one place, so you're not the only one remembering everything. Share it with the family, and let the spreadsheet do some of the remembering for you.

Inside the planner:
Family Christmas Hub · Guest List · Potluck Planner · Shared Duties · Christmas Day Plan · Hosting Supplies · Baking Plan · Cookie Exchange

Get the Guide + Planner on Etsy

Instant digital download: the illustrated PDF guide and the Excel Christmas planner. Prefer a book? Shop the book on Amazon. It shows you how to get the companion planner too.

A little planning should give you more time to enjoy Christmas - not give you another job to manage.

Most Christmas stress isn't the work itself. It's the remembering: who's coming, who's bringing what, whether anyone told Auntie Joan about the nut allergy, and why you're the only one who knows where the gravy boat lives. This planner takes the remembering out of your head and puts it somewhere the whole family can see it.

What's inside the planner

There are nine tabs. Use the ones that help and ignore the rest. Fill in the cream-coloured cells, and the totals and checks work themselves out.

Start HereA one-page guide to how the planner works, so nobody in the family needs a tutorial.

Family Christmas HubSecret Santa, the spending limit, key dates and dinner details, all agreed in one place.

Guest ListWho's coming, adults and children, arrival times and allergies.

Potluck PlannerWho's bringing which dish, and whether every course is covered for your number of guests.

Shared DutiesEveryone gets a real job, from drinks and ice to the dishes. Print it and stick it on the fridge.

Day PlanType in your dinner time and it works backwards, telling you when to start each job.

SuppliesChairs, plates, cutlery and fridge space, checked a week ahead so there's time to borrow.

Baking PlanTells you whether you've planned enough baking for your gatherings, or can simplify.

Cookie ExchangeTells every baker exactly how many dozen to bring.

Made for sharing

The planner is an Excel file that also opens in Google Sheets, Apple Numbers and LibreOffice, and the automatic totals work in all of them. Upload it to Google Sheets or OneDrive and send the family the link, so people can add their own dish, job and arrival time instead of texting you.

A calm Christmas countdown

You don't need to start in September. You just need to do the right things in the right order, so the last week is for enjoying, not scrambling.

Early November: the big decisions.

Mid November: the potluck and the jobs.

Late November: baking that freezes.

The full countdown, from early December right through to Christmas Day, is in the guide.

Questions people ask

Do I need Microsoft Excel?

No. The planner also opens in Google Sheets (free with a Google account), Apple Numbers and LibreOffice.

Is anything shipped?

No. The Etsy bundle is an instant digital download, so you can start planning tonight.

I already have the book. Where's my planner?

Scan the QR code inside your copy of A Calm & Simple Christmas to get your companion planner.

A Calm & Simple Christmas by The Dancing Sage

The whole plan, not just the spreadsheet

The planner is the companion to A Calm & Simple Christmas, a warm, practical and slightly cheeky guide to spending less, doing less, laughing more and enjoying more.

Guide + Planner on Etsy The Book on Amazon