Would you hate me if I admitted that I only have one more thing to knit, and then I'm finished with my holiday knitting?  Very well, then; I won't say it.  

At any rate, I can attest that planning your knitting ahead of time is AWESOME.  You might not think so, but it's true.  Don't let this be the year when you have to wake up early Christmas morning to finish sewing seams!  

The only thing you need for this project is a pen, paper, and some quiet time so that you can sit and think.  10-15 minutes will do the trick.  

First, make a list of everyone you want to knit for, and what you want to knit them.  There's no need to get specific about the yarn or the pattern you want to use.  Just write down whether you want to make them a hat, a scarf, a pair of socks, whatever.

Next, divide a section of your paper into fourths.  That's one section per month we have left, more or less.  

Now divide up your knitting list, and write down the projects you need to knit each month.  This is the hardest part, because you have to be blunt and realistic.  

If you have 20 people to knit for, and you want to make sweaters for each of them, this may not be a realistic goal.  Can you really knit five adult sweaters a month, for the next four months?   (If so, more power to you!)  Would some of those people be okay with hats instead?  What if you gave store-bought presents to half of the people on your list, rather than knitting for them?  Who on your list is REALLY expecting and cherishing a hand-knit, and who is someone you just have the idle idea might like one?

It's surprising how emotionally fraught this exercise can be.  I trimmed a few people off my knitting list because I realized that they had never used the items I'd knit for them in the past.   A few other people got downgraded from "knitted scarves or gloves" to "knitted small toys or tree ornaments."

The final step is to figure out which items to knit when.  Sometimes choosing the pattern and the yarn is the hardest part.  I put those projects near the end, and wrote a note to myself to "choose pattern/yarn for X" on the month before.  

Doing this is a trigger for you to do your research, swatch, and contemplate your options well ahead of time.  It prevents that last-minute panic.  Or, worse, the agony of knowing that you've made a bad choice, but you don't have time to go back and do something different, so all you can do is grit your teeth and forge ahead and try not to think about it.  (I'm not the only one that's happened to, right?)

As for sticking to your shiny new schedule, I recommend a reward system.  I like rewards!  Promise yourself a reward for each item you complete on schedule, whether it's a sum of money towards a yarn purchase or a doughnut from your favorite bakery.  You deserve it!

Photo credit: Flickr/Squirrel Cottage