How I did it: Shopped early. Set up a gift wrap station in the corner of the living room and kept it stocked and organized. Wrapped one or two presents at a time in advance as the days and weeks before Christmas rolled by... all in view of the TV so I would remember to do it when watching movies. Used a different paper for each person so it did not matter what was in the package (I could easily tell who it was for from the wrapping). Watched lots of Christmas movies and played Christmas music frequently to create a more relaxing environment; encouraged random caroling.

Lessons & tips: Made a rough list early for the big stuff and let small stocking stuffer gifts be left to whimsy; this routine helped keep me on track as both Santa and cheery elf. This year I hope to actually spend late Christmas eve on a date with my partner rather than scrambling to wrap packages and get them set out until the wee morning hours, something that used to leave me exhausted Christmas morning.

Resources: Shopped online for as much as possible to minimize my time driving or hunting through overcrowded stores, shops, or malls. Targeted specialty stores for large items and kept trinket shopping to the locations retailing a variety of merchandise departments. Sent family to the malls by themselves with a list so I could avoid it, and instead got to stay home and write. They are my greatest resource... and make the best holiday troops service consistently that one could imagine. I can't begin to express how lucky I am to have them.

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Dec 22, 2008, 10:58AM PST | 0 comments | 1 cheer