How to Handle the Holidays

[lcash]

Hi, ladies. Anybody besides me get overwhelmed with the hubbub of the holidays? It seems that the period from mid-November to mid-January is like a marathon race. How do y'all stay sane? My anxiety is mounting already just thinking about it! Lauren

[zeebs]

1. Ignore them.
2. Avoid the mall.
3. Homemade gifts.

[mgmsrk]

Move to Canada.

Thanksgiving in October seriously cuts down on the feeling of impending doom starting in mid November.

[mgmsrk]

Plus you get the day after x-mass off.

[JenW]

I try to do my Holiday shopping early. I do some of it online and avoid stores if I can. I also have DD's Birthday in early Dec. I try to keep that a simple affair, but sometimes it does not work. We also happen to be hosting part of our annual progresive dinner in the neighborhood this year. Luckily, it is only every three years for hosting. It is a good way to get together with friends every year and not always be the one reponsible to host.

Also, I rarely make the huge dinner, and I finally convinced my MIL to skip the whole turkey and go with a turkey breast. It is more about spending time together as a family. We tend to keep our meals pretty simple and skip out on the time consuming trimmings. Also, we usually all bring something. We have simplified our gift giving to include mostly just the kids. We do get gifts for our parents, and I do for my Sister, but most of the siblings in our generation just skip it.

I am always open for more ideas.

[karen]

I second fleeing the country. The year we went to France to spend the holidays with my MIL was about the easiest Christmas ever.

I do all my shopping online- generally split between Amazon, Duluth Trading, SN and occasionally ThinkGeek. If I'm stuck for ideas, I give cash, charitable donations, or linens- everyone likes a good towel or set of sheets, Amazon usually has cool sets. That saves so much time and stress. We can get the shopping done in an evening.

I bring/give fruit or beverages instead of baking. Except for my husband and sister, we're all self-employed, and generally crazy busy- so at the end of it we're just happy to have a day off, and a decent meal. Something odd/funny/unexpected generally happens, so we've abandoned the notion of having Norman Rockwell version of Christmas, and just roll with it. Our tradition is no tradition- so that helps too.

[Ghost]

Hi Guys

I second karens idea of shopping online whenever possible. Its seem I do half of it online and the other half in the shops. I also make a plan, I give myself the first two weeks in Nov, then done. The only gift I have to get now is my secret santa.

I think the best way is to plan and shop early with much as possible online. Guess its a shame I work in the city centre and catch a bus home everyday with xmas shoppers. Thank god for mp3 players and books

[rubycat95]

We are hosting Thanksgiving for the first time ever this yr. and I decided not to stress about it and have ordered most of the dinner from Wegman's. They do a great job and I love the company and am happy to suport a local business. I'll bake desserts and I'm sure people will bring stuff too. As for Christmas I tend to shop year round-if I see something I grab it and put it in the "gift closet". Like Jen, we have simplified gift giving by including only the kids and parents. However sometimes we "cheat" and give a family gift to sibilngs. Usually it's something gourmet-ish (coffee, sweets, syrups, etc.) that you wouldn't normally buy for yourself. I also try to shop as much as possible on-line. I love Amazon, LLBean and Lands' End and have found a variety of other good sites for kids' stuff. I also try to look for free shipping deals and coupons at retailmenot.com . I avoid all stores (including Wegman's) on the weekends (it does help that I'm a F/T SAHM) and go early in the mornings after I drop kids at school. They are usually almost empty at 8am, no long lines and no fighting for a parking spot. HTH!

[Xarata]

i'm pretty much done with my xmas shopping. I did most of it online and the rest in 2 trips to the mall. I don't have kids though and my family does secret santa so i bought for my mom, dad, niece, boyfriend, one sister, and one sister's boyfriend. and of course some for me. lol. i'm just taking the boxes that come and wrapping them up. i figure- even if i know some of what i bought, i won't remember which box is which. lol.

I do have one more polyanna (read secret santa) in the larger family sense with my cousin but she hasn't made a list and that's always a pain- i believe in lists dang it! Especially since she grew up in Maryland and I grew up in Pennsylvania- it's not like we really KNOW each other KWIM? I will just have to make her jewellry and be done with it. lol

It's the first year i get to have my own xmas tree (i was a college girl for the last 4 years, i flew 800 miles to be w/ my family every xmas but there was no point in leaving a tree in illinois- i don't do fake trees) so I've been buying lights and ornaments since i moved into my apt (with 11ft ceilings!) Actually, i could say i've been preparing since last january when i was making ornaments in my ceramics class. lol. My very own tree for me, Bob, and Honey. woohoo!!!

I must say though that something dawned on me this year. My boyfriend and i have been together for about 4 and a half years (and lived together for over half of that). We've gotten an "our first xmas" ornament from some person every year. Now, this is kind of our first xmas because it's our first tree together but socially, our first xmas isn't til we get married or it would have been our actual first xmas 4 years ago- so how many "our first xmas" ornaments are we gonna have? 5?6?7? That's all right, I already know that in 20 years, I'll have so many ornaments I'll get to pick and choose which ones make it onto the tree ;p

[lcash]

Thanks, everyone, for lifting my spirits. It motivated hubby and me to take a little action - hubby and I will buy ourselves ONE joint gift (and no others, including stocking stuffers!). We will stay away from stores and Santas and Christmas carols until December 1. We will not put up our Christmas lights until mid-December (even though most of our neighbors already have!!) I will allow guests to bring food to our annual open house instead of making everything myself. I will hire someone to help me clean. I will purchase gifts online and have them sent to those on my gift list directly. AAAANNNNNNDDDD, everyone in our office agreed to put the money together we would have spent on one another for gifts and make a donation to a family that can't afford to celebrate the holidays. Oh - we are going OUT to a buffet for Thanksgiving! We're feeling much better already!!