Keeping the Holidays Under Control

As promised, here are some tips and tricks of the trade from some of Momentum Resources' finest on keeping the holidays under control:

• Go to Gift. Last year Tanya found some really cool metal wine toppers. Just pop one on top of a bottle of wine for a “go-to” hostess gift. Add a holiday colored dishtowel around the neck so it looks like a reindeer with a scarf. Super cute, and if you stock up after the holidays during sale time you'll have plenty for years to come.
• Order Labels in Advance. Tiny Prints has some terrific ones, order some customized labels as early as possible to slap on a cute tag to make a homemade or store bought treat special.
• Pick 1 Really Great Recipe. Find one thing that you're really good at, like Whitney's dark chocolate and sea salt or Julie's hand-mixed BBQ rub, and share with friends and family. Add one of the aforementioned custom labels and the gift is done.
• And 1 Really Great Party. Per group of friends, per weekend, per whatever. She with the busiest calendar in December doesn't win. Be selective, enjoy the time.
• Limit the List: In our family, only the kids in the extended family exchange gifts. Embrace Jill's extended family tradition of drawing names from a hat. Make that gift really, really special and smile knowing that you've kept the time/energy/money vacuum trifecta to an absolute minimum.
• Avoid Scope Creep: Make your lists and menu plans, and then stick to it! Don't second guess yourself, instead, applaud your project management skills! You'll have time to sit back and enjoy the holidays instead of an 11pm run to Target.

Reign in the Holiday Madness

Early this weekend I had quite the calendar surprise: Thanksgiving is next Thursday. Right.

It's that magical and oh-so-stressful Double Diamond Downhill slide from Halloween straight to New Year's Eve and it seems that all personal and professional responsibilities are colliding. You're on the phone with the Benefits department to choose your new health plan for open enrollment and shopping online for forgotten teachers' gifts all the while figuring out who's going to attend the Holiday Program at school that's happening right when your big new client pitch is scheduled. You want to just enjoy the magic but when the kids are handing you Santa Lists while you tell the accountant you can't possibly have year-end projections ready this week, it's hard not to feel a little Grinchy.

To try and keep everything under control I turned to some of the smartest, most organized and thoughtful women I know: the Momentum Resources Team. I asked for one tip from each and they each poured out some amazing advice on schedule sanity, gift-giving and most importantly, how to make the holidays a meaningful time for you and your family.

Stay tuned, great tips coming your way!