HOLIDAY STRESS BUSTERS
by Marlene Biondo

Holidays can be far from happy days unless you begin with a well-planned goal in mind. That goal is the enjoyment of the holiday season and the conscious decision to make Christmas what it is meant to be -- a celebration of the birth of Christ. Here are some helpful, easy to manage tips on how to enjoy your holidays with simplicity, ease and style.

1. Order your gifts from a catalogue and send gifts directly to your friends and family. If gift wrapping is a must, request it with your order, or prior to delivery, send a gift bag to that address. Merely request that the recipient pop it in the gift bag, and not open it until Christmas.

2. Choose one gift theme for everyone on your list. Some theme possibilities are: books, jewelry, tapes or CD's, gift certificates, orFTD flowers. These examples are great ideas for long-distance friends and family. Most of these items can be delivered rather inexpensively by carrier or mail. This plan can save over $50 to $100 on postage or U.P.S., depending on how many out of town packages you send. Books can be mailed at a lower third-class rate and, therefore, are much less expensive to mail than similar-sized items. Gift certificates from national department stores or national restaurant chains can be a great choice for the tough to buy for. Gift certificates are worry-free since one size fits all! Mailing gift certificates is easy and inexpensive; in fact, just include it with your annual Christmas card and consider it practically free mailing. Nearly everyone on your list will appreciate restaurant gift certificates. With all the shopping who has time to cook? Whatever gift theme you pick, make shopping a breeze and save yourself time and energy in the process.

3. Magazines make great gifts. You do not have to gift wrap them, you do not have to mail them, and most magazines will send a gift card announcing the subscription and the giver. It is a great gift idea for children since it encourages the development of reading skills, the acquisition of knowledge and lifelong learning habits. These gifts keep on giving all year long as well as throughout a lifetime.

4. Limit parties. Plan functions ahead to avoid scheduling problems. Simplify parties given in your home to ease the holiday stress on the family budget. Invite friends for caroling and if they would like to bring cookies, let them know you'll have the punch or mulled cider ready. Or, better yet, plan a preholiday function or a post-holiday function. The turn-out will be great and you'll save yourself the anxiety of yet another activity in an already heavily, scheduled holiday season.

5. Save your Christmas card list on your computer. Include the names and add addresses to a second column and in a third column provide a checklist for cards sent. Save your list for next year. If your list is especially long, split it in half. Find a family member to help withhalf of the addresses, or do half the list one day and the other half later.

6. Make your own Christmas card assembly line. Buy pre-stamped envelopes or use a small sponge to dampen envelope glue. This can be a fun task for young children, and will help the family unite in a new tradition. One member can type a poem or a Christmas letter, and print it on the computer. Other family job descriptions are folding the letters, stuffing envelopes, licking or damp-sponging the envelopes and sealing them. Options to consider ahead of time include buying Christmas stamps from the U.S. Post Office, choosing the Christmas cards, and selecting a pre-printed computer paper with color designs especially created for Christmas letters. If you dare to make the extra effort, send your addressed envelopes to Postmaster/Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and have them stamped with a Christmas in Bethlehem stamp for a unique Christmas novelty. Your friends and family will be delighted!

7. Mix your cookie dough ahead of time. Place cookie dough in rounded teaspoonfuls on baking sheets already covered with waxed paper and then freeze. Later, put the frozen cookies in a freezer bag, and seal tightly. When you want fresh baked cookies, take a small bag out of the freezer, put the cookies on a baking sheet and place them in an unheated oven. Allow the cookies to defrost for several hours. Add sprinkles or colored sugars, then bake and enjoy the aroma of fresh baked cookies without the cleanup mess!

8. Continue your exercise program and get plenty of rest, and eat healthy foods. Make sure your children get to bed on time so they will be cooperative and energetic on shopping trips and other activities. Limit your sugar intake. Sugar-filled foods bring your energy level up temporarily, but they contribute to a greater loss of energy at the end of the day. Stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables, and look to carbohydrates to give yourself and your loved ones longer lasting energy. Don't skip meals, and eat meals on schedule. If you take care of your body, your body will take care of you! After all, you don't have to shop till you drop!

9. Create your own gourmet food gift baskets. While doing your grocery shopping, do your gift shopping as well. This is a great gift plan for friends and relatives who live close by. Here are some shopping suggestions:

Line a basket with a holiday towel or a red or green kitchen towel.
Then add ingredients to follow a theme. . .

SUGAR COOKIES

sugar cookie dough, premixed in the dairy case
decorator icings
sprinkles and colored sugars
cookie cutters
wooden spoons
wrap with a white, flour sack towel
Add a colorful scrubbing sponge for the bow

POPCORN

butter-flavored salt
cheese-flavored salt
white syrup for popcorn balls
food coloring
hot air popcorn popper

Add recipes for popcorn balls and caramel corn. Place items in a bowl-shaped basket and include holiday paper napkins! You could even throw in a video and some candy bars for a movie night at home theme.

HOME APPLIANCES

These are usually moderately priced at the grocery store and work well for a family gift. For fun add specialty ingredients to use with the gift.

• Waffle iron (bag of fresh pecans, powdered sugar shaker filled with powdered sugar)
• Ice cream maker (ice cream toppings, nuts)
• Miniature coffee pot (specialty coffees, gourmet coffee creams and spices, biscotti)

SPECIALTY ITEMS

Special foods can spur your imagination to create a food basket:

• Italian gift basket: Angel hair spaghetti, prepared tomato sauce, a braid of garlic, fresh Parmesan cheese, Italian bread, a gourmet cheese shredder (like restaurants have),
• Favorite recipe basket: If you're ready to share one of your favorite recipes, include a few unique ingredients. At check out, ask for a smallplain paper bag, drop the ingredients in, and tie it off with a raffia bow. Hole punch one corner of the recipe card and hang it from the raffiabow.

Example: Cinnamon-scented shapes for potpourri. . . Mix cinnamon and applesauce until very thick. Roll out and cut with miniature cookie cutters, then bake. Leave miniature holes in the cinnamon cutouts for threading on raffia or ribbons. Use as a garland or decorations on packages.

• Coffee lovers basket: Coffee mugs, fresh ground coffees of special blends, cinnamon swizzle sticks, nutmeg, chocolate, and amaretto flavorsto sprinkle on top of pressurized whipped cream, and Italian biscotti (hazelnut, almond, or amaretto).
• Chocolate lovers basket: Chocolate candies with holiday colors (place inside a small cellophane bag from the floral department of your storeand tie a colorful bow on the top of the bag), a box of holiday chocolates, specialty holiday candies sold individually by candy manufacturers, andthe list goes on and on.
• Fruit Basket: Choose colorful fruit and ask the floral department for decorative plastic wrap. This is a great gift for anyone, and it is a healthyalternative to candy and sugar-filled recipes.
• Plants or fresh flowers: What a terrific way to brighten someone's holiday! Poinsettias are usually in abundance, but shop early to get thebrightest and biggest plants. Varieties of white and pink are unusual and often enjoyed even more than the traditional red poinsettia. Cluster several plants together in a large basket, add a large gold bow, and wait for the eyes to pop as well as oooh's and aaah's as you hand deliver a gorgeous bouquet.
• Other: Use your imagination and create a one-of-a-kind gourmet gift basket tailored to the whims of a special friend or relative.

Once you've purchased your grocery store gift, consider placing the items in a plain, brown paper bag from the check out. Add stickers, cordedhandles and a raffia bow. Pop in 2 to 5 sheets of red, green, and white tissue paper or multicolored, designed holiday tissue and you have a decorator package with loads of goodies inside. Some grocery stores have floral departments that can give you more ideas for gift giving. They may even help you wrap some of your items in decorative cellophane, especially if you purchase a basket in the floral department. You'll have some great gifts and save time and money by using your imagination. If your grocery store gives stamps, you'll have fun spending your extra stamps on everything from amusement park tickets to fine crystal, or maybe even another Christmas gift.

10. Eliminate stress on the family budget. You don't have to spend allot to give a great gift. Buy throughout the year and put thingsaside in a "gift closet." Watch for sales and buy when items are on sale. Avoid impulse buying by planning ahead. Budget the amountto spend on each gift and stick to it. Discount stores, outlets and department store sales offer better prices than retail. The best times to buy aheadare from Christmas to late February, and during June and July.

These tips will help you prepare for the holiday season. With Christmas gift-giving well-planned, you can focus on the meaning of the season. The most precious gift we will ever receive has already been given to us in the Christ child. Spending time in celebrating His birth should be a complete joy. With a little planning, you can breeze through the season and have a truly blessed and happy holiday!