'Tis the week leading up to Christmas and everyone has their tinsel in a tangle.
Moms and dads everywhere are making lists and then forgetting where they put them.
If people had tails, they’d be chasing them!
It is all with the best of intentions as everyone wants to try to create the perfect holiday memories for those they care about.
But we are setting ourselves up for disappointment.
We all know the perfect family Christmas is possible only on the 'W' network, where everyone owns a cozy inn nestled in the mountains.
That mythical place is where time is suspended and there are oodles of opportunities for gingerbread house construction, cookie baking, popcorn stringing, cocoa drinking, tree trimming, and general merry making.
In the real world, we are running out of time, money and energy.
I have a few helpful hints.
I really should patent this brilliant business idea, but, alas, I have not so will offer this to you free of charge.
My idea is LIP — Low-Impact Parties.
The basic premise is that “less is more." Move slowly. Do as little as possible. The less effort one has to put in, the calmer the holiday will be.
My company mascot is the sloth.
You get the idea.
Assuming your gift wrapping is not done and you are getting frantic, I can help.
Simply throw some wrapping around the gift. No need to measure. Just slap it on there as fast as you can.
Here’s the trick. Sign the label this way: “We hope you enjoy this gift wrapped by my child/pet all by themselves because they love you.”
What are they going to say? Criticize the wrapping skills of a toddler or a pet with no thumbs? No, trust me, they will think it’s the greatest creation ever!
If you must host a soiree, with very limited numbers, of course, those charcouterie boards are all the rage.
Some fancy ones are selling for $100 or more.
C’mon, it's some nuts, dried fruit and luncheon meat. No need to splurge.
Basically, this is just a hoity-toity version of what we used to call Lunchables — those little packages with a few crackers, cheese and baby chocolate bar.
Just get a bunch of those. Open them up and place the contents on an old cutting board. Lay it out in a design like a candy cane or Christmas tree.
If you feel the need to really impress, put little signs on the food, like Laughing Cow, Kraft Singles, and Ritz.
Invite guests over and call it a “special interactive” event. Suggest they all take part in a super-fun group activity and then have them do your work for you. Let’s all trim the tree!
Suggest an outdoor event called “shovel my driveway."
How about a cookie baking contest? Hostess keeps the goods, though.
If you must have overnight guests, I recommend the bed-and-breakfast approach, but with a slight twist. I call it the “make-your-own-bed-and-breakfast.”
Remember, the point is to have a “low-impact party."
Let’s face it. We want our holiday to be memorable.
If you follow my suggestions, not only will you be spared hours of exhausting prep work, but people will be talking about you or rather it — your bash — well into the new year.
