Christmas Tips #1

It is that time of year again- the time when most people begin planning for the holiday season. Here's a few helpful tips to help get through the Holidays with just a bit less stress.






1. Batteries- if you have a few items that require batteries this year, consider investing in rechargable batteries. A charging unit for AA/AAA batteries can be purchased for under $10- or under $15 if they come with batteries. These last a lot longer than regular batteries, and you can easily wind up saving in the long run.

Just the other night, I found a new tip myself to help with the cost of these batteries- the craft store Michaels often has 50% or 40% off one item coupons in their ad's. Now, I haven't checked the price myself, but the woman who told me has done it in the past, and told me that the batteries are usually the same price as places like Walmart or Target, so you wind up saving up to 50% off on them!

2. Wrapping Paper- Most people have a stop or two for Holiday get togethers, and typically have a gift exchange, even if it's just a small one.  If you put your gifts under the tree before Christmas Eve, sorting through them can be a pain.

What I do is choose 1 roll of paper just for each specific place (if they're small gifts, try Dollar Tree for small rolls of paper at low costs). That way, when the time comes to gather the gifts and get out the door, you won't be spending a lot of time looking for specific names- just wrapping paper!

3. Wrapping Paper #2- This is good for kids who still believe in Santa. When Raegan was probably 4, she spent the morning opening gifts, squealing in joy, tossing paper around, and then came, "Hey, look mom! Santa buys the same wrapping paper you do!" So, this one may seem like a no brainer, but I certainly didn't think of it right away- buy (and HIDE!) a seperate type of paper to wrap the Santa gifts!!

4. Wrapping Paper #3- This is one I read in a magazine. One woman wrote in that what she  started doing was choosing 1 wrapping paper for each child. Then, rather than writing names on the packages, she just wrapped them up in their designated color/pattern, and left them nameless. On Christmas Eve, they got placed under the tree nameless. The kids had no idea what gifts to open, but it made for easy sorting once they knew what gifts belonged to who.

5. Gift Cards- Gift cards are becoming increasingly popular, because it's a no-brainer. You get a set amount to spend, and you don't have to pick an item the person might not love. With the popularity of gift cards, we see new ways of 'wrapping' it each year. This year, Walmart has an assortment of stuffed animals, tins, ornaments, small purses, and more to put your gift cards in- for anywhere from $2.50 to $5!! That seems steep to me.

What I did last year, is buy 3 of the tiny stockings Walmart sells for 2/$1, and some red glitter glue. I wrote their names on the stocking, slid the gift cards in, and laid the stockings on the floor on top of their own stockings on Christmas Eve. For $1.50, I had a creative way to package the cards.

6. Gift Cards #2- CD boxes are another way to package them. Dollar Tree has 3 packs of solid colored, holographic CD boxes for $1. Simply add some tissue to the inside to keep it from rattling around, and add a bow to the top. Again, much cheaper than the items Walmart sells. Maybe not as fancy, but still, fun!

I hope to add many new tips before Christmas!