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.