Unless you want to be there till next Christmas, forget about the newspaper idea
Go to Woodies or Atlantic Homecare & buy Hagesan window cleaner. This is a link to what it looks like. [broken link removed] Get a squeege & water applicator. If you have paint or stubborn stains, then id recommend getting a window scraper for it. (be careful with the scraper, only use it when the window is wet).
Get some old cloths and cut them up. Wet the window and frame with water applicator, Use one cloth (wet cloth) to wipe around and clean frame, Squeege the window. Now use another cloth (dry cloth) to dry off any excess water on window, go around edges of window and remove smears etc...