It’s that time of year again. the time where you pretty much ignore all responsibilities except the ones the advertisers tell you to do i.e. buy gifts, get dinner ready, travel. Here are my tips on staying relatively sane during all this craziness.
1) Not everyone is Martha Stewart, don’t offer to host if you don’t have to. hosting a parting means lots of cleaning (before and after), lots of supply shopping (toilet paper, tissues, trash bags, etc), and lots of decorating (who wants to come to a house that doesn’t scream Old St. Nick?). If you don’t feel up to the task, pass it on.
2) If you have to host, start delegating. Don’t become hostess-zilla, but kindly ask for assistance with cleaning or decorating or overall preparation. And don’t feel guilty about it. Sure, you’re the host, but the holidays are about family. Freeloaders can help too.
3) If you’re the freeloader and not the host, then offer to help out. If you’re located too far, then make sure the gift for the host is extra special. TWO bottles of wine, instead of one. Bring extra food. Bring them in disposable serving trays so it’s less dishwork. And no fruitcake. That’s just mean.
4) Don’t overdo it. Fancy ribbon extra and glitter on the presents, doesn’t it just go in the trash bag in a few hours? Extra lights on the house means more lights you have to take down later. Handcrafted holidays cards… just… don’t.
5) Take it easy with Pinterest/HGTV/Food Channel. No need to keep up with the holidays Jones’s who have ample time and money for their celebrations (not to mention set decorators). Do the holidays your way.