Holidays are over now--what will you do differently next year?

[JerseyJanice]

That is, what lessons did you learn from this year's holidays?

I learned that it's much easier to shop for gifts if you don't stick to a set amount for the gift. For example, I used to say, "I have to spend $40 on my sister's gift." If I found something I thought she'd like for $30, I'd get it, but then find something else to buy for $10.

This year, I didn't do that. I just bought everyone items I thought they'd like and wound up coming in just little under my entire gift buying budget.

Also, I'm going to cut out the pasta course from my Christmas Eve menu. Everyone was too full from antipasto to eat much lasagne. It was a lot of work to make it. Next year, I'll add a couple more appetizers and another dish to the antipasto and not bother with baked ziti or lasagne.

So what are your lessons learned? How will your holidays be brighter or easier next year?

 

[gina2000]

Truthfully, we had a great time this year. Just ate too much. So if I do anything, I'm going to try not to overindulge in the food category next year.

I did a ton of shopping in early December and I wrapped then also. I think that helped make my holidays alot more manageable and enjoyable. Those are two tasks I'm not enamored with.

 

[ez]

I will try to do that next year as well. I got some great gifts, for example, my dad graduated from John Jay college, well I went to their website and to the college online bookstore and got him a hooded sweatshirt with the bloodhounds mascot on back, and John Jay in big letters, he loves it and he hasn't stropped thanking me for it since. What I will do differently, if DD still believes in Santa next year, is to give her the good gifts from us, and a little one from santa.

 

[Skywalker]

For me, the only thing I would do differently is shop earlier. I refuse to ever enter a mall in December again. So, shopping completed by November at the latest and I think my Christmas would pretty much be stress-free.

 

[ericamanda01]

I did pretty good as far as timely shopping, but I could have finished a lot sooner had I made out a list of all the people I needed to get gifts for, ie. Neighbors, little sister. I just forgot a few key people. So this year before we put away all the decorations I am going to make a list of all the people I have to buy for, as well as a list of all those who sent us christmas cards along with their address. I'll put it in with the cards I am using for next year.

 

[DiznEeyore]

We spent the summer and fall putting an addition on the house (it's *almost* finished) so I was completely unpreprepared for Christmas. Thankfully I'd done some shopping throughout the year so I saved a bit of time that way, but Christmas just wasn't as festive as I would've liked.

Next year all this home improvement stuff will be done so I'll have time to get ready and really enjoy the holidays!

 

[kayeandjim00]

I think I'm going to cut down on the amount and the variety of cookies I make. I go way overboard every year so I spend lots of time baking and end up with so much extra. I realized this year I could cut that in half and have more time for other things and still have plenty of sweets.

 

[gr8tpanther]

I learned that next year I am buying a fiber optic tree!!!!

 

[KarenB]

We had our kitchen and bathroom remodeled around the 21st of December. (new floors, cabinets, toilet, appliances, etc). We are still waiting for one cabinet and the bathroom vanity that "should" be here this week. So the dishes, etc are sitting here in the spare room all over the floor.

Although our house looks great, I feel like I spent my entire holiday vacation cleaning, painting, moving funiture, hauling out garbage, etc. School starts again tomorrow and I feel even more tired than when it got out!

Next year, I hope to relax more.

Karen

 

[newholidayx2]

prelit artificial tree
we always argue over the "perfect" live tree which we have never found
and this yr DH cut the lights off the tree w/pliers!

nope - next yr its a prelit artificial tree

 

[JessetheCowgirl]

I plan to pay someone to wrap gifts for me. I always put it off, and it is such a mess.

 

[Keli]

I'm going to try to do my shopping much earlier in the year and get all the presents bought and wrapped before Thanksgiving. That will make my christmas much easier. If I direct a pageant again next year I want to be ready for christmas long before it happens so that it doesn't prevent me from getting my preparations completed in time like it did this year.

 

[poohandwendy]

Get my shopping done earlier...although, I tell myself this EVERY year and haven't followed through yet....what can I say? I am an overly optimistic procrastinator....

 

[Kitty 34]

My hope by next year is our kitten gets over her chewing habits so we can enjoy lights LIT up on the tree. A tree isn't as fun when the lights aren't working.

 

[piratesmate]

1. Give DH breakfast in bed! He gets really, really cranky waiting for breakfast and I like to wait for DS & DDIL to get here.

2. I'm packing the ornaments that go on the garlands in the box with the garlands! The tree never goes up when I want & I'm either left with naked garlands for 2 weeks or decorating for 3 days straight!

3. Going with DH & DD to get the tree! This year they cut a blue spruce. Do you have any idea how picky they are? Ouch!

4. If I'm making gifts, I need to start in Sept or Oct! I thought starting Nov 10th was early enough...I was wrong!

 

[Pooh93]

I give dd's gift cards in their stockings and I may start buying them earlier, i.e. August. so it's not as much money going out in December. Other than that, I think I'll keep the same game plan. Start early and shop a little at a time on my lunch hours, (therefore avoid the malls on the weekends) bake very little, don't put up as many decorations and get my two little elves more involved in wrapping the gifts for the grandparents. I hate to wrap! My Christmas was relatively stress free this year, so I was very lucky.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We will have our first Christmas at home and worry about the traveling perhaps earlier in the month....

We will not be overbooked before the month even starts....

We reduced our Christmas budget by about 70%...

We will not miss the Nutcracker ballet (we really wanted to see it and the schedule was overbooked--this will be the first item on the schedule for next season).

 

[remyandhollandsmommy]

Start buying Christmas gifts now so you will have enough money for "last minute didn't know you were coming over" gifts.

Buy a ham or turkey after Thanksgiving since they go on sale. Actually buy more than one since they freeze and are not exclusivelly for holiday dinners.

After Christmas when you think 20 rolls of clearance wrapping paper is enough for the next year...add 20 more or you will be paying crazy prices next year to wrap something when the paper gets shredded anyways.

Wrap presents as I buy them to avoid several nights spent wrapping all at once (I hate wrapping and thought I'd freak out if I had one more night of wrapping and then more presents appeared). Do not forget to label what the heck it is that I just wrapped so I have an idea of what I bought come Christmas.

 

[CajunDixie]

I learned this the hard way, life can be all too short. So I've decided next year to do a few things for myself. Instead of waiting until after Christmas for something that I really want I'm going to save back a few dollars and buy it for myself. If the boys want something specific I'll buy it myself rather than give the idea to the in-laws when they ask for a list (a list they asked for and didn't use). I did put my foot down this year when DH step-mother asked for a list from the boys and told her I wasn't sending her a list until Jan. 3 since we don't have "Christmas" with them until Jan. 29th because thats the only time they can fit it into their schedule. I'm sooooooo not giving her a list in December only to have the boys end up having all duplicate gifts come Jan 29th and then I'm the one running around to all these stores returning duplicate gifts only to be given gift cards for those stores because she used a credit card to make the purchase. UGH!!!!!!!

I'll also do more online shopping. It's so much easier than driving 50 miles to a decent sized city to shop. And I'll again get the boys involved in buying items for the food pantry and a name off an angel tree or just buying toys (around here toys for older boys are usually in short supply) for the Toys-for-Tots program.

 

[JulieWent]

Next Christmas, we are not going to argue with all of our relatives about who is going to go where. We are GOING TO DISNEY WORLD instead!!! I started making plans the day after Christmas.


Julie