The holidays are upon us. We haven’t slowed down one bit since Halloween. First came the costume planning and candy buying. In the aftermath of all the Halloween festivities, we’ve been busy preparing for Thanksgiving, planning dinner and seating arrangements. And now, it’s almost Christmas!

Christmas time is a time for festivities. It is also the most stressful time of the year for a lot of people. It involves making travel arrangements, dinner plans, gift buying, wrapping, and giving. And then cleaning up after, to start it all again for the new year.

As you read this, Christmas is just a few days away and it’s a bit too late to change gears and switch plans now. If you haven’t planned out your holidays yet, fear not! Here’s a checklist of things you have to do starting right now.

Plan for your break:

❏ File a leave for the days when you (most definitely) know that you won’t be able to make it work. It’s a safe bet to file for 2 weeks off to enjoy the holiday festivities, especially if you’re traveling!
❏ Make travel arrangements early. The earlier you book hotels and plane tickets, the cheaper they are.
❏ If you’re traveling by car, check that it’s running smoothly, that you have enough gas, and that you have emergency supplies.

Gifts:

❏ You should have bought gifts by now, and it’s time to wrap them. If you can’t do it yourself, you can hire someone to wrap it for you. Most shops offer gift wrapping services, check your purchases if your eligible to have them wrapped for a fee or even for free!
❏ You can also hire an enterprising neighbor or babysitter to moonlight as an amateur gift wrapper. Buy some ribbons, wrappers, and tape and just pay for their time.
❏ Forgot to buy a hostess/host gift? Forgot to buy a gift for a friend? Need ideas for last minute gifts? Here are a few items that you can buy at the last minute and will make great gifts.

❏ Wine – ladies would love pink rosé or Moscato
❏ Beer – buy those designer homebrews from microbreweries, a set of 2 or 3 will make any guy happy.
❏ Baked goods – cookies and pies would make great last minute gifts. They keep for long and will last (hopefully) last a few days.
❏ Preserves – jams and jellies also make good last-minute gifts. You can get them at the grocery and just put a pretty ribbon on the caps.

Christmas dinner:

❏ Plan your Christmas dinner. It’s usually one or two entrees, plus a couple of sides. You don’t have to slave in the kitchen for hours. Store bought is fine! Save yourself the trouble and gain peace of mind. You can get roast beef or rotisserie chicken, a Christmas ham, some spring rolls, and then just do a few side dishes like mac n cheese, your go-to salad, or some mashed potatoes. Encourage guests to bring their favorite side dishes to share and ask for the recipe at dinner. That would be fun!
❏ You can get store desserts (cakes and pies!) and just make it your own by adding a touch of cream or some jam/syrup. Store bought isn’t lazy, and taste just as good. You won’t be stuck in the kitchen all day and can use that time to hang out and catch up with loved ones.

What holiday shortcuts do you have? How do you reduce holiday stress? Share your tips with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard.