The Holiday Planning Trick You'll Be Glad You Started in October

The holidays sneak up fast. Between school programs, office parties, travel, and family traditions, your calendar can fill before you’ve even had a chance to enjoy it. That’s why October is the perfect time to set your family up for a smoother, calmer season by adding holiday placeholders to your calendar. With your Fall 2025 Calendar or All the Things 2025 Calendar, you can see the long view of the season ahead, making it easy to plan around busy weeks and protect the moments that matter most.

Placeholders aren’t set-in-stone commitments. They’re flexible notes or markers that act as gentle reminders of what’s coming up, leaving space for the fun traditions and meaningful events your family doesn’t want to miss.

Instead of waiting until December to make decisions, you’ll already have a plan that keeps the holidays intentional and less overwhelming.

Before you start adding placeholders, have a quick family conversation: ask each person to share one holiday tradition they don’t want to miss this year. Whether it’s an extended family party, baking a favorite holiday treat together, driving around to see lights, or caroling with friends, writing these down now ensures everyone’s favorites make the cut.

Once you’ve talked it through, these tools make adding placeholders simple, flexible, and even fun:

• Circle Sticky Notes: Perfect for reserving space for big events like school programs, holiday parties, or travel weekends. Move them around easily if dates shift.
• Colored Washi Tape: Highlight must-do family favorites, like baking cookies or visiting the tree lighting, with a pop of color. Assign each family member a color to keep traditions visible at a glance.
• Erasable Gel Pen: Plans always shift, and this pen keeps your calendar neat without messy cross-outs. Perfect for jotting down tentative times or last-minute updates.

With your favorite tools in hand, it’s easy to start filling in your calendar. To make things even simpler, here’s a little inspiration of common holiday events and traditions you might want to add as placeholders to get you started. Starting early also means you won’t have to shuffle through paperwork later when the season is already busy.

Suggested Holiday Placeholders:

• School holiday programs and concerts
• Office or community holiday parties
• Family baking or decorating days
• Gift shopping and wrapping sessions
• Travel or hosting weekends
• Game or Movie nights at home
• Favorite seasonal tradition (ice skating, lights tour, etc.)

By starting these placeholders in October, you’ll head into the holiday season feeling calm, confident, and ready to enjoy the traditions that matter most. With a flexible calendar and a few helpful tools, you can protect your family time, reduce stress, and make space for the joy and connection that truly define the holidays.