You’ve heard about them. The people who finish their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving. Wrap their gifts in handmade paper. Have plenty of time to bake dozens and dozens of cookies. Decorate their entire home perfectly in one afternoon. Get their holiday cards out – before the holiday. Host five-course dinner parties – where all of the food is served hot simultaneously. They never gain an ounce and never, never get those awful little stress lines between their eyebrows.

Who are these people? Do they really exist? Who can live up to that kind of pressure?

While these people may be a myth (they must be, right?), there really are ways to make your holidays a little less stressful, leaving time for a lot more fun!

Shopping

You didn’t start your holiday shopping eleven months ago? So what! How on earth does that put anyone in the holiday spirit?

Are you the type who power shops the sales the Friday after Thanksgiving? Do you prefer to hit the mall during your lunch hour? Or, are you the person who begs the shop keeper to stay open just ten more minutes on the very last possible shopping day?

No matter how you shop – try these tips to keep yourself from suffering post-holiday sticker shock:

• Decide how much you can spend. Do yourself a favor and build in a 5% over/under buffer. That way you won’t beat yourself up if you go over just a little bit. And if you’re under – reward yourself with a little something just for you.
• Use cash. You’re more likely to stick to your budget if you take out cash and vow not to spend any more than you have on hand.
• Make a list. Decide who you’re buying for this year and then list what you want to get each person. Don’t add to the list (unless, of course, it works within your budget).
• Try internet shopping. Just can’t deal with the crowds? Shopping on the internet or mail order is an incredibly efficient way to select exactly what you want, without having to leave your home or office. You may even find that some will gift wrap and deliver for you!

Gift Wrap

You can wrap a box. Maybe it doesn’t have perfectly creased corners and tucked in edges with special adhesive so that you don’t have to subject anyone to those unsightly tape marks. But, how the heck are you supposed to wrap something you need a degree in Geometry to identify?

• Bag it. Find some pretty gift bags, grab a stack of tissue paper and go to town.
• Contain it. Use a unique container like a decorative tin or hat box. Place the real gift inside. Just like that – two gifts in one.

Cards

Thanksgiving weekend, you go to the mailbox – and there it is. The first holiday card. Are they just trying to make you look bad? Who has the time to sit down and address, write a nice note and sign a mile-high stack of cards?

Try these tricks, and you’ll get your holiday greetings out faster than you ever expected. It might not be the day after Thanksgiving – but it won’t be a “Happy Valentines Day” card, either!

• Cards to go. Grab a box or a basket and toss in your cards, envelopes and stamps. Take it with you wherever you go and do a little at a time. Watching television, waiting at the doctor’s office, while munching on lunch. You’ll be through the stack in no time flat – and you’ll be able to pat yourself on the back for your excellent multi-tasking abilities.
• Have yourself a very merry e-Holiday. Try sending an e-card this year. Most of us have more e-mail addresses than real addresses now. And this way you save time, money and trees. Check out your MyDominionHome.com site for access to some great holiday greeting e-cards. If you’re throwing a holiday get-together, you’ll find holiday party e-card invites there as well!

Decorating

Uh, oh. It’s the annual hunt for the elusive holiday decorations. You know they’re in your house somewhere. Just as you know that when you find them you’re going to spend forever trying to find a place to put everything.

This year, try these organizational tips – they’ll save you tons of time next holiday season.

• Color code it. Store your holiday decorations in holiday-colored bins. Green or red, for instance.
• Keep it together. Store all of your holiday bins in one area of your home like the garage, the basement or a storage closet.
• Temporary storage. Make room for the holiday decorations by taking down some of your everyday decorations like candles or flower arrangements. Store those in the holiday bins.

Entertaining

Already committed to four holiday functions and still planning to hold one of your own? (All of the other de-stressing tips and tricks must really be working for you!) But, there’s no need to host a full-fledged dinner. You can cut down on the expense and the work load with one of the following ideas.

• Focus in on one thing. Make it a dessert party. Or a cocktail party. Or a tree-trimming and cookie exchange party. Pick your favorite part of any event and center the festivities around it!
• Mmmmmm…Pot Luck. Who doesn’t love a pot luck? Everyone brings their favorite dish (which cuts way down on the cooking and baking for you) and you all get to share!
• Why rush it? How about holding a post-holiday party? Just when everyone is suffering from the now-what-do-we-do-blues, you’ll be ready to step in with a festive winter bash. You could even do a white elephant gift exchange where everyone brings the re-wrapped gifts they don’t want (just make sure the original gift giver isn’t at the party!)

Food

Fat, carbs, calories, dieting, exercise. Dirty words! Give yourself a break and take them out of your vocabulary for this short season. Think of the stress you’ll cut out of your life by not worrying about that extra slice of pie…and the mandatory whipped cream on top of it. Throw caution to the wind and take that second helping of your Aunt’s famous stuffing. You can always eat the carrot sticks tomorrow!