No matter how early I start planning for Christmas, I somehow always get behind. Honestly, I have no idea how it happens. I’ll start shopping before Thanksgiving, knock a ton off my “to do” list on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, have the house completely decorated for Christmas, my Christmas Eve and Christmas menus planned, but then I blink and the countdown to Christmas has reached single digits. I now go into a slight panic, nothing is wrapped, my shopping isn’t done, I haven’t taken Christmas pictures (and therefore haven’t made Christmas cards either)…. What happened? Where does the month of December go every year?
Well don’t stress, here some tips and tricks to survive the holiday hustle, when you are truly doing the last minute hustle!
- Amazon Prime, four words –two.day.free.shipping. When you are in a time crunch nothing is worse than wondering if the gift will arrive on time, or paying some ridiculous price for expedited shipping. If you don’t have a prime account, you can always sign up for the free trial-use it for Christmas shopping, and then cancel.
- Merry Christmas….and Happy New Year! There is nothing wrong with taking the “Happy New Year” approach to your Christmas cards. Buy yourself a little extra time and send them a day or two after Christmas, it’s still the holiday season and I’m sure the cards will still be just as appreciated.
- Gift Cards. When all else fails, pick up some gift cards as last minute presents. I know this isn’t the most personalized gift, but as long as you give a gift card to a place that the person actually likes to go it is still thoughtful.
- Italian. When you are stumped for Christmas Eve or Christmas dinner, go the Italian route. Make a crockpot of sauce and meatballs (serve over pasta or have meatball sandwiches), or make a pan of lasagna or chicken parmesan. Most Italian dishes can be put together the day/night before and then all you have to do is turn on the oven or crockpot and you will have a hot dinner without having to spend the day in the kitchen. Add some salad and bread and the meal will be perfect!
- Ask for help. This is one that I am so terrible at, I never ask for help, but sometimes you just have need to. Ask a relative to watch the kids for a few hours, get your husband to stop at the store after work, whatever you need – just ask!
Remember this is not the season to stress, don’t forget to take the time to stop and look at the Christmas lights and experience the magic of the season. In all reality no one will know if your entire Christmas “to do” list gets done or not, well unless you forget to get someone a gift….just don’t go do that and you will be good.
Happy Holidays!
What are some of your tips and tricks for pulling it all together last minute?