The Experts at Dummies - Surviving the Holidays for Dummies

Surviving the Holidays For Dummies

Published by
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com

Copyright 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Knitting pattern and knitting styles Pam Allen

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions .

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Business Development Department in the U.S. at 317-572-3205. For details on how to create a custom For Dummies book for your business or organization, contact .

ISBN 978-1-118-49593-3 (ebk) ISBN 978-1-118-49602-2 (ebk) ISBN 978-1-118-49594-0 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Cover photo: Brandon Laufenberg/iStockphoto

Introduction

J ust the thought of the holidays can be overwhelming: the decorating, the shopping, the entertaining, the extra commitments (not to mention the sleep deprivation). And if you have kids, juggling everything can prove to be even more of a challenge.

Fortunately, Surviving the Holidays For Dummies offers great tips to help you not only make it through the holidays in one piece but also to have your friends and family marveling at how you do it all!

How This Book Is Organized

This book is divided into eight chapters that guide you through the holiday process. Whether youre having trouble getting in the holiday spirit or are overwhelmed by all the shopping and entertaining, we have some tips for you.

In Chapter 1, you find out how to avoid holiday stress. (Yes, it can be done!) And in Chapter 2, you discover how you can get a head start on holiday shopping.

In Chapter 3, you get the scoop on hosting a stellar holiday bash, including choosing the date and planning your guest list. Chapter 4 helps you plan an awesome menu, while Chapter 5 reveals the secret to making your holidays flow smoothly with must-have to-do lists.

Holidays leave you feeling drained? In C hapters 6 and 7, you find out how to recover both mentally and physically.

And, of course, no For Dummies book is complete without a lighthearted Part of Tens chapter. In Chapter 8, you discover what you should (and shouldnt) do during the holidays.

Icons Used in This Book

Throughout this book are little pictures called icons, which highlight important information. Heres the decoder key:

This icon is a friendly reminder of the information youll want to remember as you go through the holiday season.

This icon points out suggestions for ways to do things better or faster. If youre looking for some quick and easy pointers on ways to improve your holidays, check out the paragraphs with this icon by their side.

Dont be scared by this icon but do pay attention to it. In these paragraphs, youll discover information on ways to avoid mishaps and minor catastrophes.

Where to Go from Here

If youre sitting down with a cup of coffee while visions of sugarplums are dancing in your kids heads, feel free to read from start to finish. But if youre panicking about your never-ending holiday to-do list you do have a to-do list, right? then skip to the part that you need most.

Chapter 1

Getting in the Holiday Mindset

In This Chapter

Reducing stress by being prepared

Cleaning up for holiday visitors

Getting stocked up on beverages

S omehow, what with all the jam-packed shopping malls, ungodly credit card bills, and sleep deprivation, most of us have forgotten that the holidays are supposed to be a time of great fun.

But before you turn into a scrooge, check out this chapter. Here you find suggestions for avoiding holiday headaches and welcoming guests (no matter how unexpected they are!). We also help you stock the best Christmas spirits (of the drinking kind!).

Avoiding Holiday Stress

Because were pushed and pulled in so many different directions during the holidays, we can all use some helpful hints for reducing the stress in our lives.

Plan ahead

Planning ahead sounds like obvious advice, but unfortunately, many people fail to do so. Planning ahead helps you stay worry-free come the festive day.

Planning ahead enables you to take some early-bird steps to ease your holiday stress:

If you have some idea of the holiday gifts youd like to give, you can pick them up throughout the year and save yourself last-minute-shopping panic (not to mention money!).

If you want to hold the holiday meal at your house, stake out your claim early. Other family members may be thinking the same thing, and the early bird gets the worm.