Nov. 24: Black Friday

For adults, this is the first obligation on the holiday calendar. This means you are expected to have already memorized, from front to back, the circulars that arrived in the mail a few weeks earlier. You are also expected to be out of the house by 4:30 a.m. – the latest – so that you’re squeezing past soccer (and let’s not forget mister) moms for the overpriced plastic gadgets your children, husbands, and yes wives, oh so dearly need.

For those who let the important people in their lives forge onto the retail battleground, your obligation lays in a box of the lights and plastic decorations. So get out the ladder, because you need to have at least one half of the roof or a single window decorated, before your bruised and battered loved ones get home.

For kids, your first obligation is to look over your holiday wish list and keep a low profile until the stress fades from your parents’ eyes.

Dec. 1: Holiday Event Planning

For adults, your second obligation on the calendar is to figure out how, where and who you’ll be spending the holiday with this year. This means it’s time to book the airline tickets, rental cars, and hotel reservations, if you haven’t yet. If everyone is heading to your place, get a cleaning schedule down on paper and start considering meal options, that is, while still shopping for gifts of course. Also forget the family traditions that need to be updated and prepared for.

For kids, your second obligation is to stop snooping through the shopping bags that either your family members have brought home from the stores, or Santa dropped off a few weeks early. Don’t forget to brush up on the Christmas carols, Hanukkah games, and pull together all your change for the holiday store coming up at school.

Dec.11: Recipes and the Bulk of Decorations

For adults, your third obligation is to get the meals in motion. If you’re having it catered, that should have been set by the beginning of the month, but if you’re cooking, it’s time to bring out the recipes.

For those of you celebrating Hanukkah, it would be advised to pick up exactly what you need for your meals before there’s nothing left on the supermarket shelves. For those celebrating other holidays, like Christmas, now is most likely the best time to make sure you have the bird or ham situation set in place, and don’t forget the pasta, fish or other cultural centerpieces.

As for decorations, finish them up, make sure all the menorah candles are ready and that none are broken. And we mustn’t forget the Christmas tree.

For kids, your third obligation is attempting not to eat everything that’s been packed in the cabinets and fridge. Take a timeout from the TV and help out with the decorations, but be careful of the pushpins and staple guns.

And if you have little brothers, sisters or cousins running around the house, help keep an extra eye on them. But more importantly take a second to give your parents and the other adults a hug.

Dec. 15: Hanukkah

For adults, your obligations will be the most intense over the next eight days. There will be tons of gift-wrapping, family and friend schmoozing and best of all, cooking! With a busy week to come, making sure you and the family get some rest would be one of your most important responsibilities for the next few days.

For kids, firstly, don’t fill up on gelt. Now with that said, it’s your obligation to bust out those drediel skills you’ve been practicing since Dec. 1, and it may be hard, but try not to get too jealous of the gifts the other kids may have gotten. There’s one more thing you have to keep in mind, all that homework you’ve been assigned for the holiday break.

Dec 18: Gift Wrapping, Cleaning, Shopping, and
Holiday Presentations

For adults, there are only a few more obligations on your calendar and as the month draws to an end the more important they become. Now would be the best time to get a jump start on the gift wrapping and cleaning, especially if the holiday is being held at your home this year. Without question, probably still shopping, but keep in mind there are a few worthwhile holiday presentations, shows and movies that may take your mind off of your increasing credit card bills.

For kids, start Christmas caroling, keep helping around the house and don’t forget to thank those who have made your Hanukkah special or those who have taken you to a holiday movie.

Dec. 24: Last minute gifts, food, toilet paper

For adults, this is going to be your most stressful obligation: getting those last minutes gifts for the important people you some how forgot about. There are always the gas stations, 7-11s, and of course targets and k-marts that are ready and able to help you out. It’s also your last chance to pick up whatever condiments, drinks paper products- including toilet paper- that you may have forgotten.

For kids, your last obligation is to get to bed so that they can finish wrapping the gifts in your house and when you wake up the following morning, act surprised when you unwrap the Play Station 3, even if you saw it in the shopping bag two weeks ago.

The most important obligation when looking at the holiday calendar for adults and children alike, is keep an optimistic attitude and be as giving and compassionate as possible.