25 Genius Ways to Hack the Holidays

The Christmas season has definitely arrived. That means more stuff to do in the form of holiday shopping and merry-making at the same time. To help make things a little bit easier for everyone, while still enjoying the Christmas spirit, here are 25 awesome ways to hack through the holidays:

25. Make a Christmas playlist

We’re talking about an honest to goodness playlist that includes Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls and Frosty the Snowman. Besides, what’s the holidays without happy Christmas music, right?

24. Use a clear bag for storage

A clear, garment bag helps you keep your Christmas and other craft stuff in order. You can hang them in your closet until the next holiday season and keep your home clutter-free!

23. Make gift tags out of old or free paint chips

You know those paint or color palettes you can get from hardware stores? Why not use them as colorful gift tags this Christmas? Cut ’em up, punch a hole and attach a ribbon to it and you got yourself some DIY gift tags.

22. Prep the ingredients ahead of time

It ain’t the holiday season if there isn’t any scrumptious home-made holiday meal. To save yourself from hassle, prepare and cut the ingredients much earlier so you’re not feeling stressed about getting things done by the time everyone is already at your door.

21. Make mulled wine for taste and smell

Put together some wine, sugar, some spices (cinnamon included of course!) and some oranges in a pot. Give it a simmer and you’ve got yourself some mulled wine that should taste and smell absolutely amazing!

20. Get your presents wrapped

If you’re pressed for time and still have a lot on your to-do list before Christmas day, you might want to get your presents wrapped upon purchase. There are some stores that offer free wrapping service, so you might want to take advantage of that.

19. Use the 30-minute rule if you’re having guests over

The 30-minute rule is pretty simple: don’t do any preparing or cleaning of your house that would take more than half an hour. Besides, your guests are there to see you and not how spiffy clean your kitchen or living room is.

18. Decide whether to continue or give up Christmas traditions

If family members are doing things because “It’s tradition”, you might want to take a step back and re-evaluate if it is still worth doing at all. Especially if this family tradition is something time-consuming, stressful, or just straight up too expensive.

17. Send guests to a hotel

Unless you happen to be single and have enough space at home, then it may be possible to have your out of town guests over for a night or two during the holidays. But if it’s quite a large group, it might be a good idea to send them to a nice but cheap hotel that will fit everyone and give you less stress.

16. Make a shopping game plan

There’s nothing crazier about Christmas than going to the mall along with everyone else, shopping for the perfect gifts. To help make things better, come up with a list of people and the respective gifts you want to give them. This way, it will be easier to find the best shop while at the mall. Oh, and try to do your shopping on weekdays when there’s less people.

15. Make fancy party ice

Include cranberries or lemons in the ice trays for cool party ice. If you’re into flavored water, this is a cool way to add oomph to it.

14. Prepare anything ahead of time

If you have a few hours to spare and it’s enough to make the cookie dough, do it. This will definitely save you stress on the day of the event.

13. Share hosting with a friend

Partying can take its toll on you physically and mentally. If you can combine some parties together, it would surely be great or at least share the hosting duties with a friend.

12. Make quality time

The Christmas season isn’t just about partying. Don’t forget to make time for your significant other to celebrate the season.

11. Re-purpose hangers

Your hangers aren’t just for your clothes. They’re also for your Christmas lights so it’s organized.

10. Use a carrier

A package carrier is loads of help during this hectic season. It helps getting gift delivery out of the way.

9. Use what you have to create beautiful décor

Re-purpose what you have from last year instead of buying new Christmas décor. It’s sure to save you money. Set the dinner table using that red scarf of yours, or some red ribbons as napkin rings. Get creative.

8. Find ways to use cookie cutters

Use your Christmas cookie cutters with a batch of pancakes. Surprise the family with cute holiday cut-out breakfast!

7. Order online

There’s a truckload of online stores now that will help you with your gift-hunting. Not only is it hassle-free, it’s even convenient, too. Happy shopping!

6. If you have kids or pets, anchor the Christmas tree to the wall

This will surely prevent accidents such as the tree falling face down on Christmas morning while the kids and the dogs run around the living area.

5. Photograph your fridge and cupboard

As the holidays get closer and closer, you’re bound to need to keep going back and forth to the grocery or the mall. To keep from forgetting anything, take a photo of what you already have in the fridge and the cupboard. Totally time-saving.

4. You can say no

You don’t necessarily need to say yes to all the Christmas parties. Leave room for some me-time, too.

3. Remove packaging

If you’re wrapping gifts and the packaging of the product is getting in the way, go ahead and remove it. This is great with your gifts for your children.

2. Use paper plates

If you’re hosting a huge Christmas dinner, it might be more economical and less tiring to use paper plates instead of bringing out the fancy china.

1. Good enough is awesome

Christmas isn’t about perfecting every single detail about it. Be in the moment and enjoy it. Christmas is all about being with family and friends you love after all.

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