Tis the Season to be Jolly

Tis the season to be jolly, unless of course you have way too much to do. The holidays come at such a bad time during the year, right in the middle of our lives. It isn't like we can ditch all our other duties to deck the halls. Holiday chores are simply piled onto our already too hectic schedules. Sure Martha makes it look easy as she makes homemade hand carved reindeers, but don't forget Martha has an entire staff to help her don her gay apparel.

The best way to guarantee that you will be singing fa la la la la during the holidays is to make a plan and stick with it. The first measure is to decide on a budget. If you are one of those super organized saving type of people, now is the time to go and pick up the Christmas club money from the bank that you have been making deposits into all year. If you are like the rest of us, decide how much you can take out of what you already have. If you are going to use credit cards, then make a deal with yourself only to charge so much. Remember, come January you will have to start paying them back. Do you really want to have the holidays haunt you all year long?

Not everything has to be homemade to create a wonderful heartfelt holiday. Decide what you will make, and what you will buy. Homemade Christmas cards are wonderful, but if you didn't start making them back in June, forget it. Buying them will be just fine. If you want to include a family picture with the card, don't forget you will need to get the picture in far enough in advance to have it reproduced. There have been holidays past when my holiday cards became New Years cards because I didn't have my pictures done in time. In addition, forget about writing a personal note in each one of them. Nice, but again unless you started this months ago, you will not have time. Although I know many people disdain those form type holiday letters, it is better than hearing from someone once a year and all that is in the card is Love Dan and Donna. At least the letter gives you a clue as to what is going on and helps you keep up with your once a year friends.

Although Martha will be baking an international smorgasbord of holiday treats, the Holidays will be just as sweet with just a few of your favorites. Decide which two to three types of cookies and candies you will make, schedule a day to bake, box or freeze the cookies, and call it done. You might also want to consider doing a cookie exchange with some friends. Each person bakes several dozen of their favorite cookies and then exchanges what they make with several friends. That way everyone gets an array of cookies but only has to bake one kind. This is a wonderful way to keep things simple while enjoying wonderful treats and time with friends.

Keep in mind that although you are capable of doing a lot, you do not have to do it all by yourself. This is the time to get the entire family involved. Ask for help with everything from trimming the tree, baking the cookies, to wrapping the gifts. Instead of being in charge of making the entire holiday dinner, have everyone contribute his or her favorite dish. The holidays are about enjoying time with family and friends, not about being stressed out and exhausted.

This year plan to have a jolly holiday season by planning and being realistic about what you can do. nnn