Yes, I fully realize that Sunday is Easter, but I thought I'd let you all know that Christmas Eve is 9 months from today.

I don't want to confuse things between the holidays, but there are a few tasks you should keep in mind.

• If you have some downtime, look over your Christmas file and discard recipes that you've tried and didn't like, select a few craft projects for the year, etc.
• If you like to make gifts, start thinking about what you'll make, find instructions, and gather materials.
• Easter dinner is a fine time to start a discussion about where you plan to spend the holidays. The sooner you decide, the sooner you can start watching for airline sales or making other travel plans. .
• Keep saving for your holiday expenses.
• It's never to early to work on your Christmas lists, especially your gift list and your card list.
• As you drag the summer stuff out of the basement or attic, make sure that you have all of the Christmas things in a defined place and that you are only storing things that you use and that are in good repair.

When do you start preparing?