The Holiday Season is Upon Us

It's amazing how excited you are for the holidays to roll around before you actually obtain the responsibility of shopping or hosting dinner.

May I make a few suggestions to help you keep your sanity, and possibily hold onto to SOME of that money in your wallet? I can? Great, 'cause I was going to anyway.

1) Make a list of whom you have to buy for with possible ideas scrawled
beside their name. I know this sounds simple, but if you're like me
and don't really enjoy shopping, it REALLY can assist in cutting down
the amount of time you spend roaming the mall.
2) Shop in the less popular malls in your area. Believe it or not, most of
these "less popular" malls contain the same stores as the more popular
popular ones and you may actually ENJOY your shopping since it's at a less
frenzied pace with less "mad" shoppers.
3) If it's possible, try to do as much as your shopping via internet or
catalog. Most offer discounted or free shipping this year, which also
will cut down on gas costs also. Am I the only one who thinks gas prices
are beyond insane?
4) Try to cut down on the number of people you shop for. Talk to family
members and friends. Why not skip holiday gifts and get together for
drinks or with the kids? Celebrate individual birthdays instead.
5) Hosting a holiday party or dinner? Do as much as the prep work as you can
in advance. Try to serve entrees that can be prepared in advance and
frozen until the big party or dinner.
5) If you're hosting a large party or dinner, my husband is one of tweleve
children, so I ONLY host large affairs, ask the attendees to bring
something. A side dish, a dessert, fruit...etc. It's not in poor taste.
If you've already take the advice in #4, it's really no big deal. And
with all due respect, who the heck did you invite anyway??? Your family
and/or friends, no? If they're that easily insulted....UNINVITE them!!!
AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
6) If you also do the five course meal, we're Italian, we do this if we just
invite you for no reason to dinner, use holiday paperware. Family and
friends insulted? Thinks it's in poor taste? UNIVITE them!!!! SSShheesh,
who the heck do they expect to do all those darn dishes?
7) By now, you've realized I have OCD, if you're opening gifts, make sure you
have plenty of garbage bags hidden around the house for quick clean-up.
Holidays or not, no need for your house to look like it was invaded.

Last, but not least, do your best to maintain your sense of humor. Someone, heck probably a bunch of people, are bound to get on your nerves. All that family is one house almost guarantees friction of some type and magnitude. If you feel your reaching your level of patience.........DRINK ALCOHOL!!! Family members seem so much more amusing when you have a "buzz"!!!
Happy Holidays to ALL!!!!