Surviving the Holidays at Home

Are you hosting your family's Thanksgiving celebration this year?  While the holiday is all about being together and being thankful, many of us get so overwhelmed by our hosting duties that we forget to relax and slow down long enough to cherish our holiday moments.  My email has been filling up with tips and tricks to make it through this holiday with time to spare after your hosting duties to actually enjoy them! Here are some of my favorites:

Lauren Miller, author of 5 Minutes to Stress Relief, says the purpose of any stress-relieving task is that it “distracts us from the brain muck, and gives us a brain break.” Even if your tea choice isn’t scientifically backed, the act of brewing and sipping can be enough to take your mind away from family tension.

Jill Donenfeld, founder of the private chef service, The Culinistas, and author of “Party Like a Culinista: Fresh Recipes, Bold Flavors, and Good Friends.”  suggests When people ask what they can bring, I always say: ice. You can never have enough! And when the refrigerator is packed with food, it’s great to have plenty on hand for filling ice buckets.”

Start preparing the week ahead!  Here is a list of tasks to get done ahead of time and save you some last minute stress:

Set the table
Grocery Shop
Prepare for overnight guests
Take inventory of you kitchen supple - do you have your meat thermometer? Serving dishes and spoons?
Start cooking on Sunday

For these and more tips to help you survive (and enjoy!) this Thanksgiving holiday, visit Real Simple.  

I hope that everyone has a wonderful and enjoyable holiday season with friends and loved ones.  If you are thinking about listing your home, or currently have it listed, feel free to reach out for additional tips on how to survive the holiday season while trying to sell.  It adds a whole new level of stress to hosting and enjoying the season while trying sell or pack for a move.