Christmas Chores Checklist

Happy holidays
Everyone likes a break at Christmas to unwind from the year's work. But make sure the very subject of time off doesn't create its own stress! Plan holiday cover carefully and openly, to make sure all colleagues get a fair deal during the break. Ensure everyone knows the business opening hours, and when they are all due back for your first full working day in the New Year. Post this on the intranet, staff notice boards or in the newsletter - so no-one can steal an extra day by saying they didn't know!

Clients and suppliers
Do you know the opening hours, delivery times and arrangements of your suppliers, or indeed the contact details of your clients, in case you need to speak to them over the festive season? Be certain that they also know your opening times and contact details, if staff are going to be on holiday.

Check whether you have enough supplies to see you through to the New Year, to avoid ordering in the Christmas backlog.

Cards and diaries
Whether corporate or personal, make sure you leave enough time for printing, signing and sending those cards out.

Do you have an up to date list of everyone you or your manager would like to send a Christmas card to? If not, create one, and make life easier for the person doing the signing by setting out your list as follows:

Name	Company	Preferred Name	Spouse or Partner	Family/Offspring
.	.	.	.	.
.	.	.	.	.
.	.	.	.	.

Check the postal websites (www.royalmail.com for the UK, and http://www.usps.com/ for the US) for last posting/mailing dates. For some international destinations you're already looking at late November. If you're ordering bulk cards from a company, allow up to three weeks for delivery.

Don't forget to get your 2004 diaries and wall planners ordered, too, as delivery times get longer the closer you get to the end of the year.

Gifts galore
Leave plenty of time for the whole gift process. Ordered gifts may take some weeks to arrive with you, selections may be out of stock, printing with messages and logos can take several days, and extra clients may be added to the list at the last minute.

Give careful consideration to postage and delivery, too. Fragile glass items may look beautiful, but how will you post them, and at what extra cost? Make a list, with the person's name and gift, and keep all order numbers and shipping details safe, in case you have to refer back to them.

Business premises
Ensure Security know what your plans are over the Christmas and New Year period. If your company has a parking patrol make sure they know when to expect vehicles parked in your allocated areas, for those people working during the break. Also check access if your company's car park is locked overnight or at weekends - can someone gain access in an emergency?

Find out more about keeping your offices safe during the festive shut-down, see our expert security tips

IT and telecom systems
Make sure you or your IT department make available support details and procedures in case email or phone systems develop faults.

Plan, plan, plan!
Remember to include all the extra Christmas and New Year tasks on your 'To Do' list and to make time for them. Allocate space in your and your manager's diaries for signing cards, etc. Keep a Christmas file with sections for the different aspects you need to consider for the festive season, including copies of booking arrangements for the Christmas party or your card list. As you build it up, this file will be a useful tool to use each year. Add things that change and make a note of those which could have been done better in the New Year.

Final Task
Remember to schedule in a pre-Christmas treat as a reward to yourself for being so organised this year! So all that remains is to leave a carrot out for Rudolph and a mince pie for Santa!