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From Christmas shopping to holiday baking and fitting in all the holiday parties, there is no time of year when I am more stressed. If I plan to take days off of work for family time how can I get ahead on my work, attend all my friend's festivities, do my holiday baking, and not go bat sh*t crazy in the mean time? When it comes down to it, decide where you need help and seek it out. If there are things on your list that can wait until January to be dealt with, take a step back from your type A personality tendencies and leave them until later. Here are my tips on saving time during this BUSY time of year:
- If you're going to bake choose one simple recipe and give it to everyone.
Try my make ahead greener oatmeal cookies and you're good to go. Everyone will think that you spent days baking these beauties. Or how about Nathan Lyon's no bake cookies? They are so easy and so delicious. - Buy gifts as you see them.
Don't wait until the last minute and buy people things that they don't want or need. The earlier that you buy gifts, the more time you have to shop and most importantly look for some holiday deals. And don't overdo it this year. It's a lesson in saving dough and cutting the consumption in your family. Cutting back is even better than buying green gifts. - Be casual about the holidays.
The holidays are about spending time with the family not getting all decked out in formal gear and having a five star meal. Spend Christmas at home with your family and instead of your holiday best, wear PJs and relax. Assign each family member a dish that can be prepared ahead of time so you won't be a slave to the kitchen for hours and hours. - If you don't have time to clean your house hire someone to come in every other week and clean.
It's a lot less expensive than you might think especially if you live in a 900 square foot apartment like me. I only pay $50 every other week and in return I don't eat out at all that week. If your town doesn't have eco-friendly cleaning services, leave your green cleaning supplies How To Go Green: Cleaning out and ask them to use your stuff instead. Persistent exposure to the toxic chemicals many common household products contain can wreak havoc with your central nervous system, leading to brain fog, breathing difficulties, and even sudden mood changes. And, because their bodies are still developing, babies and children are particularly vulnerable to low levels of neurotoxins, which have been linked to everything from developmental abnormalities to cancer.
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Are you a green hipster looking for all things green and cool? Then you'll love actor and eco-activist Adrian Grenier and his team of environmental experts, who live it up with sustainable style on Planet Green TV's Alter Eco.
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