So! The holidays are upon us. Hopefully this collection of hacks will help you streamline so you can relax and enjoy the holidays a little quicker (which means enjoying them a lot more).
Getting organized for the holidays
Let your calendar remind you to try new seasonal activities
Let Santa take away the old toys, too
Working at home while the kids are on holiday break
How to organize a holiday gift for your kid's teacher
Christmas trees and decor
Mardi gras beads as Christmas tree garland
Turn your kid's art into a Christmas tree decoration
Use "Baby's First Christmas" blankets as Christmas tree skirt
Baby shoes as Christmas ornaments
Use outgrown Christmas outfits as holiday home decoration
Turn fast food prizes and cereal box toys into kid-friendly Christmas ornaments
Childproof your Christmas tree with jingle bells
Christmas tree light switch delights kids AND protects the tree
Toddler-proof the Christmas tree by decorating it with her old toys
Holiday shopping and gifts
Sew simple, inexpensive gift bags out of sale fabric
Reusable gift box can be "opened" over and over
Simplify shopping with kids by taking pix for the "wish list"
Toy-store-with-kid strategy: Email Santa with gift ideas
Kid art + mailing labels = unique gift tags
Use small photos of gift recipients instead of labels
Wrap each child's Christmas gift in different paper
Use your coin jar to buy gift cards with Coinstar (with no fee)
Laundry basket keeps holiday gifts contained
Perfect present: what's your family's? And: a word about kids' mags
"Cookie of the Month Club" makes a great holiday gift
Best teacher gift ever: Homemade chai concentrate
Holiday traditions & rituals
What are your holiday traditions? Talk amongst yourselves.
How to encourage family conversation around the table
Seal your Christmas card envelopes with an Aquadoodle marker
Turn present opening time into a fun game of its own
Spread out the gift-opening to keep Christmas morning manageable
If you want a little more sleep on Christmas morning, make stockings "fair game"
Holiday-themed crafts & projects
DIY window clings with fabric paint
How to turn a backyard evergreen into a Christmas gift for the birds
Salvage wrapping paper scraps and rolls for a fun toddler diversion
Make a pomander or an ornament out of an orange
Holiday Peppermint Bark recipe (people LOVE this and it's so easy)
Cut wrapping paper scraps and seasonal catalogs into paper snowflakes
Decorate an outdoor tree with birdseed pine cones
Easy holiday cards kids can make themselves
After Christmas
How to involve your kids in Christmas tree cleanup
"Label" Christmas decoration storage boxes with old gift wrap
Pack seasonal books away with the decorations
Store seasonal recipes and serving pieces in the same place
Beer case inserts as Christmas ornament dividers
Advent calendar as potty training reward chart (buy at a discount right after Christmas)
Recent Comments