Sooo, the holiday season has officially started! While it remains my favorite time of the year (not withstanding the cold temperatures!), I find myself wondering once again, where has the time gone? Wasn't it just the 4th of July last weekend!?
Because my "real" job is in retail management and the holiday season becomes our own little piece of Hell for about 30 days, truly enjoying the holidays has become a "mastery" of list making, scheduling, and letting some of the little things go. If I have learned anything over the last few years, I have learned that it is necessary (for me anyway) to plan out the entire season. With this lesson learned, I did sit down last weekend and planned out a pretty little schedule with different colors of highlighter, my work schedule, daughters work schedule and the to do list all laid out from November 26-December 24. So far, most of the to-do's have been rolled over and over and over to the next day! However, I did have most of today off and was able to get caught up and feeling pretty confident that I will once again make it to the official Day still sane (for the most part) and everyone happy.
Because I am feeling quite confident and slightly "cocky", I felt that I should share some of my holiday tips with you.
1. Start planning now. If you haven't at least started your gift shopping list, I daresay that you are already behind in the game.
2. Create lists and stick to the list. In this tough economic time, it will be more important than ever to hold to the plan and avoid those impulse buys. This, I will admit, is going to be the hardest part for this committed Shopaholic!
3. The following lists are recommended:
a. Gifts to buy along with ideas for each person.
b. Supplies you will need to stock up on (batteries, tape, tissue and wrapping paper, new memory card for the camera, etc.)
c. If the holiday is at your house, plan your menu now. Pull your recipes and create your grocery list. This will make it easier to watch the grocery ads and pick up menu items as they go on sale. On the other hand, if you just want to go and get it all done, making the list will force you to get up and go!
d. If you do holiday baking, pull your recipes now. The same reasoning applies as above!
Other helpful hints:
Start working on your Christmas cards/letters now. As we get closer to the holiday season, the post office will become even busier with no additional staff. If you get them out early, it is one thing to cross off of the list.
Plan your schedule and work your schedule. By that I mean, plan your shopping, baking, wrapping and decorating days. Put them on your calendar and stick to the plan. This will eliminate the last minute rush to get it all done in a 48 hour period. (You've done it to yourself at least once, admit it!)
I keep all of those lists mentioned above in a small notebook that stays in my purse. Then if I have a few minutes to sneak an errand in during the day, I have all of my information on hand.
If you have holiday parties to attend, check your wardrobe now. Do you have the tights/hose needed for that "knock them out" outfit that you are planning on wearing. The right jewelry, jacket/wrap, makeup. Get them now, save a holiday meltdown later.
If you are stuck on decorating, baking and gift ideas, find a website or two to spur your creativity. I have been spending time on the Better Homes and Gardens website (www.bhg.com) and pulled down some interesting new recipes for goodies as well as some new decorating ideas.
And definitely last but not least, enjoy a margarita or two, whenever you get the chance to fit one in. After all, a girl on the holiday mission can not make it on shopping alone! Along with searching for goodie recipes, I have also found some interesting margarita recipes. We enjoyed the following mixture at our family Thanksgiving dinner.
Cranberry Margarita
1 1/2 oz. Tequila
1 1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. lime juice
2 oz. cranberry juice
1 1/2 oz. Sweet and Sour mix
Add all ingredients into blender with ice (only 1/2 full or will be very thick). Blend until smooth.
I was a little apprehensive with this one as I am not a huge Cranberry juice fan. However, the cranberry taste is just hinted at and does not overpower the rest of the drink. It is actually very smooth and not too sweet. Next, I will be trying the "Purple Margarita" recipe that I found on my web quest along with the "Blue Christmas Margarita".
Have a Margalicious Day!
The Maven
0 comments:
Post a Comment