Keith Bradford - Holiday Hacks: Easy Solutions to Simplify the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Adams Media An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 57 Littlefield Street Avon, Massachusetts 02322 www.SimonandSchuster.com Copyright 2018 by Keith Bradford. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Adams Media Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. First Adams Media trade paperback edition October 2018 ADAMS MEDIA and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster. For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or .

The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com. Interior design by Katrina Machado Interior images Getty Images/AndyMcFly, redchocolatte, ExpressIPhoto, Mochipet, Nikiteev_Konstantin, Baksiabat, girafchik123, FrankRamspott, Shiffarigum, lemonadeserenade, BlackStork, yhloon, AllAGRI Cover design by Katrina Machado Cover images Getty images/Blackstork, Girafchik123, Insh1Na, Shiffarigum, Redchocolatte Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bradford, Keith, 1989- author. Holiday hacks / Keith Bradford. Avon, Massachusetts: Adams Media, 2018. Series: Hacks.

LCCN 2018016829 (print) | LCCN 2018017647 (ebook) | ISBN 9781507208571 (pb) | ISBN 9781507208588 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Holiday decorations. | Holiday cooking. | Entertaining. | BISAC: REFERENCE / Personal & Practical Guides. | REFERENCE / Trivia. | HOUSE & HOME / General.

Classification: LCC TT900.H6 (ebook) | LCC TT900.H6 B73 2018 (print) | DDC 745.594/16--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018016829 ISBN 978-1-5072-0857-1 ISBN 978-1-5072-0858-8 (ebook) Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Simon & Schuster, Inc., was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

Its the most wonderful time of the year! And the most hectic, expensive, and stressful time of the year too! A season filled with long shopping lists, tangled lights, over-sugared children, bickering relatives, crowded malls, and sky-high expectations. Well, not to worry Holiday Hacks is here to help. Between these pages weve collected more than six hundred hacks to help you get your holiday in line and simplify all of the tasks that come between you and a peaceful celebration, so you can enjoy your holiday to the fullest. Weve gathered secret tips and shortcuts to prepare for the holiday, decorate your house, cook your holiday dinner, host a gathering for family and friends, and then pack it all up and hit the New Year running.

The hacks in this book are broken down into chapters centered on certain themeslike food and drinks, shopping, and the holiday aftermathto help lead you through the season, so you can read the section where you need the most help or just flip to any page for a quick fix. Whatever you need help with, weve got you covered, so turn to any page and start improving your holidays (and your sanity!) right now!

1. Trying to put holiday lights up on bricks? Use a hot glue gun to fasten them on. The glue wont damage the brick, and you can rip the lights off in seconds at the end of the season. 2. 3. 3.

Use some binder clips to help secure your outdoor lights to the roof. 4. Make the perfect place card holders for your guests out of candy canes! Put glue down the stick side of one candy cane and attach a second cane to it, stick to stick, so the hooks face away from each other. Add more glue and attach a third cane in the back for stability. Turn the canes upside down so the hook sections are on the table, and lay the place card in the curve of the hooks.

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Dont have the time to decorate the outside of your house this year? Try using a laser projector. You can create your own festive designs, and the projector covers the entire house. 6. When shoveling snow to make room for all your decorations, spray your shovel with nonstick cooking spray before you go out. The snow will slide off easily, making shoveling a breeze. 7.

Draw some snowflakes or festive designs on your windows using a hot glue gun. Its super easy to draw with, and the glue is even easier to remove. 8. Get a perfect-looking front porch by using a broom to clear the snow rather than a shovel. Ten Ways to Keep Your House Warm This Holiday Without Running Up Your Heating Bill 9. 10. 10.

Open the curtains when the sun is out. 11. Use quilts instead of curtainsthe thicker, the better. 12. Light some candles. 13. 13.

Cut open a tube of pipe insulation or a pool noodle vertically, and attach the pieces to the bottom of your doors. This will help seal in heat and keep the frosty air out. 14. Put your ceiling fan on low and run it counterclockwise (in reverse). Hot air rises, so this will help evenly distribute the heat. 15.

Insulate yourself with a layer of running tights or pantyhose. 16. Close the doors to rooms youre not using. This will help keep the heat in one area. 17. Put a layer of tinfoil on the wall across from your wall-mounted radiator or heater.

The heat will bounce back and fill the room better. 18. Place some rugs, carpeting, or old quilts over your floor.

19. Wrapping paper getting crinkly and messy? Grab an old wine crate from your local wine store for a simple wrapping paper holder. 20. 20.

Easily run lights down your railings by attaching them with zip ties. 21. The best Christmas fire starter: grab all that built-up lint from your dryer, stuff it into an old toilet paper roll, and wrap it in wax paper.