Batten down the hatches. We're about to hit zero hour. The week before Christmas is upon us. It's the week when we try to do all the things, and the kids are nuts, and there's another concert or pageant and you have to wear what and dear Lord, am I tired.
I need Christmas cookies, stat.
To eat, not to bake, obviously, because who has time for that?
So, I'm going to offer you some tips. Obviously, there's more than one way to do things, but read a bit to understand these hacks to save yourself a bit of sanity over the next two weeks. This works best for those moms just starting out, so please feel free to share with your mom friends and those with babies or small toddlers. It's best to get in with these tricks from the getgo.
Hack #1: Stolen from my mom
Santa doesn't wrap presents.
Okay, hear me out. This is sort of genius. Santa doesn't wrap presents. How can he with all those presents?
What this does for you is four-fold:
A. It saves time by being less presents for you to wrap. Who doesn't want to save time right about now? Make those odd-shaped presents from Santa and save yourself even more headaches.
B. It prevents the matching of wrapping paper or handwriting on gift tags. Maybe this buys you an extra year or two of believing (and therefore the power to use Santa to get good behavior for at least a few days before Christmas).
C. It identifies what's from Santa and what's from Mom/Dad/Grandparents/Siblings, so that the actual people in a child's life may get some credit for gift giving.
D. It adds a visually stunning aspect to Christmas morning. Not only are there wrapped gifts, but then you can see the big thing! Kids may actually stop and play with a gift for a few seconds before tearing through all the wrapping paper, undoing hours of hard work in 9.2 seconds.
Hack #2: Stolen from a work colleague
Santa gives one present. It's usually the big thing, which can in reality be a set or two combined, but there's only one main thing from Santa. The rest is from family. You bought the gifts; you should get the credit. The best gifts, like electronics, should be from the parents.
Hack #3: I came up with this on my own
Family Fun Day
If you have the luxury of this (which I know I'm fortunate to have), we have a family fun day the Sunday before Christmas. On this day, my husband (or sometimes my parents) take the kids out and do something fun. A movie. Bowling. Making gingerbread houses. I don't really know and I don't really care. All I know is EVERYONE leaves the house for 3-4 hours in which time I pull out all the gifts, sort, figure out if I need anything else, and wrap. I put some Christmas music on, make some cocoa, and spread the wrapping stuff all over the dining room floor. I don't have to worry about anyone walking in or anything. Everyone else has fun and I have peace of mind knowing the wrapping is done without me staying up until the wee hours of the morning, which, working 2 jobs, I really can't do.
Hack #4: Another Stroke of Genius from Me
Everyone gets their own wrapping paper.
I usually buy two rolls per person, so I don't run out. Then, when I'm having my wrapping party, I wrap all of the gifts for one person at a time, plowing through because I don't have to keep searching for paper. Time-efficient, which we all need.
But wait, there's more. If I don't get a chance to put gift tags on them, or the gift tags fall off, I STILL KNOW WHO GETS WHAT GIFT because they're color-coded. Also, if only one present is from Santa, and it isn't wrapped, then you could possibly get away with not doing gift tags at all, if everything else is from you. More time saved, right there.
Okay, I know I haven't cured cancer here, but if these tips can make your life a little easier, Momma, then consider them my gift to you. And I won't judge you if you keep all the good cookies for yourself.
Merry Christmas!
Telling stories of resilient women with humor, heart, and a happy ending, Kathryn R. Biel is an award-winning author of numerous women's fiction, romantic comedy, and contemporary romance books. Her newest book, Seize the Day: The UnBRCAble Women Series, #2, released November 7, 2019.