15 Holiday hacks – how to get through this season without stress

The Holidays are here if you’re ready or not. And if you’re not ready then you’re probably feeling a bit stressed. But let’s face it, those who are ready are stressed as well. So let’s fix this. The Holidays go quick. Thanksgiving is already over and Christmas is less than 3 weeks away and after this it’s a long haul through the cold until the Fall season repeats.

Enjoy the Holidays and have fun!

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Hard butter? No problem

If you forgot to take out the butter ahead of time to soften then don’t worry. Simply cut the hard cold butter into slices and in less than 15 minutes it will begin to soften.

Print out recipes

Print out recipes and tape them to your counters to save space and keep yourself organized.

Take advantage of websites wrapping your gifts

If a website offers complimentary gift wrapping then take advantage of them wrapping your gifts so it’s one less thing for you to do.

Also, I’m not sure if all Walmart’s offer this, but the Walmart near me offers to wrap your Christmas presents for a price. So you can easily bring your presents in and have them wrapped for you.

Go food shopping early

Go food shopping now and buy all your non-perishable items so when it’s time to do your final round of grocery shopping all you need is to buy the perishable items. Because let’s face it, the grocery store gets insanely crowded during the Holidays and is an absolute nightmare to go into, so this way you’ll spend less time in there when the rush begins.

Thaw your bird under running water

If you forgot to thaw your Christmas Turkey then don’t worry.

You can thaw it in just a couple hours in the sink if you put it under cool (not hot) running water. Let the bird sit in the sink and fill it to save on water. Let it sit for about 15 minutes, then empty and start all over with cool running water. You can usually thaw an average turkey in under 2 hours with this method.

Use eco-friendly pie tins

Skip using aluminum pie tins this Holiday season because they are not good for the planet. Instead, use eco-friendly ones to help the planet and cut down on waste. They won’t change your pies one bit or affect the cooking times.

Make a checklist and check it twice

Making to-do lists can be very helpful. You can layout everything you need to do and when the task is done check it off. You’ll start to see your list of tasks get smaller and smaller and will start to feel better and less stressed.

Out of brown sugar? No problem!

Just combine 1 cup of white sugar with 4 tablespoons of molasses.

Use your dishwasher to warm up plates fast

Just set your plates in the dishwasher on the “heat dry” setting for a few minutes to warm them up! Quick and easy.

Make a fire instead of using heat

Give your house a nice natural rustic smell by making a fire to bring heat and fragrance to your home. Also, you have the bonus on saving money on electric or oil (whatever you use) this Winter.

Take advantage of those wine gifts

Most times when a family member/ friend brings over wine or alcohol as a gift we say thanks then just stick it in the cabinet for a rainy day. Well, Christmas is that rainy day. Instead of going out and buying wine and spending the money on it instead use the gift from your friend. You’ll save money and will make them happy.

Cut veggies the night before

Do your chopping the night before so you don’t have to worry about it in the morning. This will save you a lot of time and stress.

Use green tinsel to make your tree look fuller

Is your tree looking a bit little thin? Chances are that when you buy a real Christmas tree that there will be a few bare spots. To fix this wrap green tinsel/ garland around these spots to fill in your tree. And once you decorate and add lights you won’t even notice the garland.

Wrap Christmas lights around a hanger to keep them from getting tangled

Tangled Christmas lights are the worse part of decorating. You put them neatly in the box after Christmas and somehow when you open the box up the next year they’re all tangled. Beats me! To avoid the aggravation take a hanger and wrap your lights around it to keep them from getting tangled! Easy and no need to spend money on organization tools! We all have hangers in our closet.

Store your ice cream in a plastic bag

Store your ice cream (in the tub) in a plastic bag to keep it from freezing hard and having to defrost it. This method will keep your ice cream ready to scoop at a moment’s notice.

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Thanks for reading todays post!

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! See you Monday for another Christmas post! 🙂