Christmas is a time for family, so center the season around a clean and organized family space. This week in the Houseworks Holiday Plan, we take aim on the family room, playroom or family area. Where does your family go to relax together?

In holiday prep, the family room theme continues as we decorate for Halloween, review holiday movies and music, and craft a holiday housework plan.

Mailing deadline: mail overseas gifts this week!

This Week's Focus: Family Spaces

Reading Assignments from Houseworks:

• Family room declutter, organization and storage- page 214-219
  Cut clutter in the family room, and organize books, magazines and entertainment media.

Inspiration from the Web:

• Keep the Family Room Organized
• Make Christmas A Family Affair
• Create a Holiday Housework Plan

This Week's Houseworks Checklist

• Declutter, clean and organize the family room or family area. Family room, playroom, living room or den, this week's assignment is to dig in and declutter, deep-clean and organize the space where your family gathers on a daily basis.

  While you're there, take aim on media and entertainment areas. Reunite video games and DVDs with their missing cases, and create an organized space for them to live when not in use. You'll make it easier to find holiday music, books and movies as the season progresses.

This Week's Holiday Prep Checklist

• Decorate for Halloween. Add a few Halloween-specific items to your autumn decorating to bring a spooky shiver to life. After the 31st, they're easy to remove and replace with a Thanksgiving theme.
• Tune time: make a music check. How's your stash of holiday tunes? If the sounds of the season move you, review the family's collection of Christmas music. Note favorites on a holiday favorites planner form.
• Movie review: check the family's holiday video library. Whether it's A Christmas Story or It's a Wonderful Life, review holiday movies. Is it the year to add new titles to the gift list? Get ready for December popcorn nights!
• Start amaryllis bulbs. Fresh flowers at the holidays are a fragrant--and frugal--gift. If you'll be giving holiday plants, start amaryllis bulbs now; they'll need eight weeks to be ready.
• Buy, wrap and mail overseas gifts. International mailing can take weeks ... or more. Be sure to mail all overseas parcels early, so they'll arrive by the holiday.
• Create a holiday housework plan. Many hands make light work and never more than at the holidays. Negotiate a holiday housework plan, assign jobs and work together to keep family spaces clean. Print our chore checklist form. Post it publicly and hold family members accountable for delegated tasks.
• Divide the Christmas card list into five sections. Complete one section this week. Goal: to be finished writing, signing and addressing cards by November 1.

This Week's Christmas Planner Pages to Print:

Chore ChecklistHoliday Favorites