Today in addition to reading Halloween pumpkin carving ideas in a magazine I read advice on Christmas chaos strategies. I was most amused at the stretch out cleaning and chores over large spans of time so it doesn't overwhelm oneself. Duh!
I have advice too:
If you are one of those who are too busy to clean and have friends or family who inspect the cleaniness of your house: Hire a maid. Or follow my sister's route and pay a relative to clean parts of her house. Plus, most people I know don't really notice dust on blinds or a crumb on the floor. You wouldn't worry so much about what people thought about you, if only you knew how often they do not.
If you don't have time to cook the magazine said have other people bring food too: I also include hire a caterer, get pies from a restraunt, or get acquainted with grocery store bakery and freezer sections. The bakeries at the grocery stores I know make great stuff from brownies, cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pies, cinnomon rolls, donuts, pumpkin bread, banana bread, potato salad, and vegetable trays; plus pies and cakes in the freezer section taste good too.
My Mom had a good answer when we desired a certain homemade food item she was good at making: Make it yourself dear if you want it so badly.
Holiday shopping: I get most of my Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving. I have all my decorations and wrapping paper stuff together so when I finishing emptying the containers, I have my wrapping stuff out and ready (except looking for tape and scissors).
Holiday cards and the Christmas letter: I write on a calendar any important event on my calendar so I use that as a reference as I compose my letter on scratch paper. That is also done by Thanksgiving and I save it on my computer to add to it later before mailing it out the first week of December.
Most important advice I have that was not in the magazine: Do your holiday shopping the day after Christmas when everything is on sale. You can easily buy 2-5 years worth of cards, wrapping paper, tags, shirt boxes, bows and ribbons, candles, jewelry, sweatshirts, lights, and decorations without spending a fortune unless you want to. They keep well in storage. If the day after Thanksgiving is the biggest holiday shopping day, then the day after Christmas is in 2nd place. Post later. Bye!
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