Practical New Year's Party Tips

One of my friends used to call me "Heloise." If you aren't familiar with Heloise, she was a columnist who provided tips. Practical stuff, like uses for Leggs Eggs and how to make a scrubby out of nylon net.

I'm a practical and thrifty person by nature. Here are my "between the holidays" tips that are both economically and socially responsible and will help you get ready for celebrating the New Year:

• If the garbage hasn't been collected yet, it's not too late to re-use that wrapping paper! Run it through the shredder and save it in a big garbage bag for the next time you need to pad a package for shipping.
  
• Inexpensive holiday dishes are deeply discounted now in grocery stores. You can actually buy the dishes less expensively than a package of paper plates, and you can reuse them. I've been buying a box or two a year and now have enough for all our holiday parties. I just use them thoughout Christmas and New Years and then pack them in the attic until next year. In these days of dishwashers, there's no reason to use throw-away plates. True - they aren't fine china - but they're nicer than paper!
  
• Instead of buying those one-use plastic champagne glasses, buy inexpensive glass ones. IKEA and many grocery stores sell them for 50 cents a stem! OR -- ask your guests to bring their own glass. As each guest arrives, tie a unique ribbon around the stem (leftover from Christmas, of course), so they can keep track of their glass.
• Craft stores sell holiday plastic cups for kids as cheaply as single use ones. Buy a couple stacks for the kids then store them after the holidays.
• Instead of buying those silly mylar decorations, consider using what you have on hand. Old champagne bottles and corks make great decorations with a little curly ribbon or star wire. Fill a glass bowl with glass tree ornaments. A vase filled with cranberries or a larger container with oranges or lemons is festive. Baby food jars embellished with glitter or ribbon make pretty tea light holders.
• It takes 10 minutes to fix a fresh vegetable tray and it will taste better, look prettier, and cost half of buying it pre-made. Plus you aren't contributing that giant plastic tray to your local landfill

That should be enough to help you channel your inner Heloise!

Have a happy and safe New Year's celebration!

Holiday stress

Today I woke up and suddenly remembered something: if I am putting off doing something, it's not because I don't have time. It's because I'm scared; so I decided that it was time to start blogging!

I notice my priorities are shifting. I want my family to have a beautiful holiday season. I want them to have me, standing in my authority, relaxed, having fun. I don't want my evil twin -- "Stressed Out Crazed Mom" -- to show up. Therefore, I have taken a proactive stand against holiday stress.

Instead of sending holiday cards today, I spent a half hour with my calendar and blocked out loads of time for all of the events happening in the next ten days. I blocked out "tea time" so I can chat with my girls every afternoon. I added an hour cushion on both sides of every commitment I have so I can be relaxed getting there and about going home. I blocked out "dressing up" time before each party so we can all look our best without my yelling at everyone to get to that point! I even added laundry time to make sure those "ready to wear" duds are actually ready to wear!

I have declared my shopping "finished." I planned the simplest menu EVER for Christmas Eve, and every time I start feeling guilty about it, I am going to write down three reasons why it makes sense to UNcomplicate my life -- or three reasons I want to focus on the family and not the food!

So what am I going to do with all this free time? Here are my holiday resolutions:

I am going to sit in the "company" room and just take in the lovely decorations I've put up.
I am going to actually read every holiday card I receive.
I am going to laugh more, dance more, make more hot cocoa, and listen more.
I am going to LIVE IT UP and cherish this beautiful life I've been blessed with.

I hope you will do the same. My holiday wish is that you will be richly blessed with the love of friends and family and that you will soak it up!