How to Keep Track of Holiday Orders and Packages

By Cedar & Ledger

Between online gift orders, gifts you mail to family and returns, December can mean dozens of packages. One simple list stops the "did that ever arrive?" moments and missed return windows.

Quick checklist

• ☐ Write every order on one list the day you place it
• ☐ Note who the gift is for, the store, the order number and the price
• ☐ Add the tracking number and expected date when it ships
• ☐ Tick it off when it arrives, and check it right away
• ☐ Note the last day to return or exchange
• ☐ Keep a separate list for gifts you are mailing out

What to write down for each order

• Date ordered and the store or site
• Item, who it is for and the price paid
• Order number (and the email account you used)
• Tracking number and expected delivery
• Arrived? Checked? Wrapped?
• Return-by date

Gifts you are mailing

Plan these first. Check your carrier's published holiday shipping dates each year, then set your own deadline a few days earlier. For each gift, write the recipient, address checked, ship date, cost and tracking number.

Avoid missed and stolen packages

• Ask for delivery to a workplace or a neighbor if no one is home
• Use pickup lockers or in-store pickup when offered
• Check your list each evening for anything marked "delivered" that you have not seen

Get the printable version

The Holiday Online Order & Gift Shipping Tracker (11 pages, Letter and A4) has a 30-order log, a delivery check-in tracker, a missing or damaged package log, a gifts-to-mail planner, an address list, a returns and exchange log and an order budget summary. It is a fill-in printable, not an app.

Related template: Holiday Online Order & Gift Shipping Tracker. Also see: the gift returns thank you tracker template · Holiday Gift Budget

See all Cedar & Ledger templates