Repeat after me: "This year, I won't be wrapping gifts at midnight on Christmas Eve!"

If there's a single most-underestimated holiday chore, it's gift wrapping. Supplies lie scattered throughout the house, while space and privacy are hard to come by.

Translation: late-night Christmas Eve wrapping sessions.

Not this year! We're going to lick the wrapping problem at the outset, by setting up a wrap and mail activity center. With workspace, tools and supplies at hand, it’s easy to wrap as you go—and enjoy the task, without grump, grumble or hurry.

to do today ... create a wrap and mail center!

Having all gift wrap, tools and supplies in one place speeds gift wrapping and makes mailing easy. Follow these steps to set up a Wrap and Mail Center: Read more »

Has it come time to renegotiate gift giving with friends and family in your life? Whether you've moved on, need to cut the clutter or no longer can afford an obligation to give, changing gift-giving assumptions can be a tricky task.

to do today...renegotiate gift exchanges

Stop the merry-go-round, I want to get off!

Sound familiar? At some point, most of us must face the necessity of shrugging off out-grown gift-giving traditions.

Growing up with a brother and a sister meant that my siblings and I exchanged gifts at the Christmas holiday. A generation later? Add spouses, children, distance and growing up, and gift-giving becomes more stressful, less satisfying with each passing year. Time for an adjustment!

Week Eleven, Garage/Storage Week, at the Holiday Grand Plan gets us into garage and storage areas. The waning days of Autumn are a good time to rout out household storage areas, so we're ready to access extra tables, chairs and seasonal decorations.

In holiday prep, we look ahead to the Thanksgiving meal, and see to the family's holiday clothing.

Ready? Let's get organized with Garage Week in the Holiday Grand Plan!

Garage / Storage Week at the Holiday Grand Plan

Coming to the end of Reality Check week, we tidy up loose ends today, declutter before we decorate, and consider whose house for the holidays.

to do today: declutter before you decorate

The decoration tide sweeps in with September's falling leaves, breaks against Halloween's goblins, and is streaming full-force by Thanksgiving's turkeys and pilgrims. Come Christmas, the average home is drowning in tinsel.

Do your visual field a favor: declutter tables, counters, mantels, shelves and the entire surface of your refrigerator before you decorate. Read more »