I use my computer, but mainly just one large document listing gift ideas/gifts given/ and gifts received. I don't keep a notebook, but it's a really good idea. On the computer it could be sectioned off into files. A document could be revised for the current year and then re-saved with a new year in the name ["2017 Christmas Cookies"]. I use asterisks and check marks and different colors on the computer to highlight special things. I can print it out any time ... just print certain pages or sections if necessary, etc. My section for gift ideas for DH I change the font color to white unless I need to see that section. So if DH happens to see it on the computer, he would think it was blank. It's formatted in a table, so has rows and columns.