KEEP CALM & CARRY ON HOLIDAY HACKS 2017 #2

Not much makes me as happy as the Holidays but between shopping, entertaining, family & unexpected drop in visits, as well as many other things some stressful situations can arise. I have done some research for you on everything from easy and unique gift giving to the simplest party planning & entertaining, games and traveling gifts as well.

With so many things to share, I have decided it would be best to break all the info up into different category posts. Today's post will concentrate on gift ideas, decorating, and thoughts on entertaining, even on the spur of the moment.

A great website I found for really unique & affordable gifts for everyone is www.freepeople.com

Here's just a few!

Entertaining

At some point you will have others visiting your home. Many things bring the “magic” sights, smells, sound are the first to captivate. The first thing you want is for it to smell like the holidays. Candles are great but if you don’t have any that are holiday scented here’s a quick way to make your house smell amazing.

Smell

Several years ago one of my clients shared this tip with me & I have to do it every year, ever since! If you have a real tree or even an evergreen outside your home, you can snip a few sprigs & replace the rosemary with it. It makes your whole house smell like Holidays!

Taste

The less you have to do, the better! No cooking!

The easiest appetizer idea that includes a lot of

different things is the ultimate cheese board.

Cheeses, meats, crackers, breads, pickles, olives,

veggies & dip, grapes, strawberries, nuts, pretzels, cookies lay it all down the center of your table on a gift wrap runner, BOOM DONE!

These are all things that you can just keep in the fridge or pantry & be prepared at moments notice if neighbors or unexpected guests stop by. Keep some bottles of wine and non alcoholic drinks on hand too!

If your dining room table is kept clear and decorated throughout the holidays (if you can) you can

throw out snacks at anytime and it will feel festive!

Sights & Decor

Decorating

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/40-christmas-decorating-ideas-that-will-bring-joy-your-home.html

PARTY TIME

Great parties start with a great theme! Great food & drink are crucial. And decor, sights, smells, and sounds round everything out!

Favorite Things Party I thought this was just GREAT! A couple pictures below to get your brain going, but here's a link to how to host one of these!

http://mylifeandkids.com/how-to-host-a-favorite-things-party/

GAMING

White Elephant/Rob Your Neighbor

Every family plays these differently but it adds an element to your family or friend holiday that's inexpensive & fun!

Here's a link to a site that had the fun rules already listed out!

http://twinklingofani.blogspot.com/2012/01/rob-your-neighborthe-fun-rules.html

Rules to White Elephant

https://www.whiteelephantrules.com/

I put this in my first post as well and I think it's fun enough to repeat in case you missed my first holiday post.

Scavenger hunt -

Gift 1 - envelope with a bow (make it pretty) put under the tree or in the tree

Open & it's a note- ask questions like where would you find something to dissolve snow? Answer:salt (they & everyone else goes to the kitchen until they find next gift/envelope to open) where would you use something to shovel snow? (Garage & there's a note on the snow shovel) and it could all be a theme that goes together or just random. I recommend 3-5 envelopes hidden in different cabinets/drawers/rooms.

I did this one year for my sister because the gift was a gift card (boring to open) but once we all traipsed through the house anticipating what was next it was in a huge box filled with peanuts in a spare room!

This breaks up the gift giving & keeps things from going so quickly if you want to drag it all out a bit.

MORE GIFTS - Steals of Deals!!!