Christmas Day is 16 weeks from today!

If you follow this countdown, by the time Christmas Eve arrives, you'll be rested, prepared, and ready to celebrate. Here are your tasks for the coming month:

• Keep saving toward your holiday budget. Ideally, you'll have completed your saving by Halloween.

• Make your holiday travel arrangements. Typically, airfares start falling this week. But keep in mind that prime tickets for Thanksgiving are already gone.

• Keep working on crafts.

• As you plan fall meals, try to use up pantry staples and freezer contents to free up room for holiday foods.

• When storing summer things in the attic or basement, take a few minutes to identify where you've stored your holiday decorations. If anything requires repair, do it now to save time later.

• Make your Christmas lists, specifically, your Christmas card list, a craft list, your gift list, and a list of any entertaining you plan to do from Halloween until New Year's.