Mayhem to Merriment in 10 Minutes

Have you watched the new sitcom The Middle on ABC this season? Did you watch it this past Wednesday? I love that show. It really does have some guffawing moments. This episode was about how stressful preparing for Christmas can be. The next day at work we were all talking about this sitcom and did we really think Christmas was hard... because, we, after all, are super moms.

Ha--- we all run out of time and things get cut completely... at least it is done has become a motto we have all adopted at one time or another.

So we brainstormed and come up with time fixers that are not too stressful and still allow us to feel that we are providing a wonderfully Merry Christmas to ourselves and our families.

Take a night off! That's right. Order a pizza. One phone call... or email. Dinner is done.
That can be a weekly event this season. Make soup. A BIG pot and just add different side dishes all week.

Rather than trying to overdo the Holiday Tour of Homes holiday décor with hours upon hours of decorating...
Do a walk through of your home. Put away all colored pillows that are not red or green (or your own holiday colors). Holiday décor will pop against neutral colors. (I love decorating shows!)
Head for the craps... oops- craft table (or closet, room, or drawer). Grab come colorful paper to wrap around votive candle holders. Use glitter and glue to brighten and bring new life to plan colored dull ornaments. Use all those beads that just keep coming out of the woodwork and glue or string some around vases and bowls.

Need a table centerpiece now? Stack pretty cake stands on top of one another and place candies, cookies, or fruit on them.

Delegate some of the responsibilities to enjoy more of the festive fun. Frankie Heck, the character portrayed by the wonderful Patricia Heaton, became frustrated with her husband when it appeared he was handling the act of Christmas better than she has in previous years. She told him, she only wanted him to do the hard stuff like stand in line at the post office... not all the fun stuff. She described the fun parts of Christmas as being the subject of a song. If it was in a song, then it was fun such as chestnuts roasting on an open fire, bells a ringing and building a snowman ( Frosty!). Thus, if you find you are just too stressed to complete one more task this holiday season... ask yourself is it fun? Is there a song? If not... why do it? No one needs the perfect holiday season to have a perfect Christmas. Enjoy the season. Cherish the day.

That is the consensus we all came up with before we all rushed to leave early to get all these ten minutes time savers in place... along with everything else we had already planned.