1. Shorten your to-do list. Ask yourself, “If I don’t do this, what will happen?” I’m usually a get-it-done-now-so-you-can-relax-later kind of girl, but in this case, see what you can put off until after the holidays. When things get crazy and hectic, I ask myself, “will my kids/family/friends remember I did this?” and if the answer is “no” it gets knocked off my list.
2. Limit gift giving. Not being Scrooge here, but try limiting gift giving to children only and consider do a “Secret Santa”. You’ll only have to shop for a few kids in the family instead of all the cousins, nieces and nephews!
3. Wrap as you go. Wouldn’t you rather spend Christmas Eve with a mug of hot chocolate (or hot toddy) instead of doing a gift wrapping marathon? Label to/from right away, and use sticky notes if necessary to keep track of gift contents.
4. Buy, don’t bake. We bake and decorate Christmas cookies each year, but to save time, you could buy plain sugar cookies from a local bakery or supermarket for the kids to decorate. I buy a pre-assembled gingerbread house that the kids decorate (baking and or assembling our own house was NOT contributing to the joy of the season!)
5. Use labels for addressing Christmas cards. Last post was about using labels to address your Christmas cards. If you do it this year, imagine how easy it’ll be next year!!
6. Scale back décor. We still get a fresh Christmas tree each year but there are several reasons why folks turn to artificial trees. It’s efficient (the lights are already strung), it’s less expensive over the years, and is environmentally conscious. You can display a pretty door wreath instead of doing large scale outdoor lighting, and a tabletop tree instead of over-the-top entire home decor.
7. Put home projects on hold. Wait, what? Yup, just close the door on the messy office or spare bedroom that’s become the dumping ground. Put off the organizing and house projects until after the holiday season.
8. Downsize dishwashing. Maybe you still want to use your fine china for Christmas day, but hand-washing fine china is no fun, so use everyday dishes or paper plates for other gatherings.
9. Less is more. Consider serving a variety of appetizers and finger foods instead of a entree and sides. We’ll always have a Christmas turkey at my in-laws (LOVE it!!) on Christmas day but for other gatherings during the holidays it’s easier on the host to do several appetizers than a big sit-down dinner. Hosting a pot luck would make it even easier.
10. Be a homebody. Staying close to home beats holiday travel any day. Staying close to home allows you more time to do the things you really want to do with your family.
