Making a List...

By Judy Magid
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

Tradition is to holidays what location is to real estate: Everything.

That does not mean you have to do everything every year.

This is the weekend to gather the family and decide what makes the holidays special Q family get-togethers, entertaining, foods, decorations, gifts.

Everyone should have an assignment from dusting to driving.

Concentrate on people you love. Let the children help decorate. Laughter lasts longer than perfection. Small children can grease pans, cut out cookies. They may be underfoot, they also are within sight.

Do not forget grandparent times.

However you choose to celebrate December's holidays, the secret to success is Santa simple. Make a to-do list for every activity.

First things first:

• Put up a central calendar. Write in parties, school performances, television specials.
• Set a holiday budget. Include food, decorations, cards as well as gifts. Consider IOUs for after Christmas sales.
• Decide on holiday feast menu. List ingredients. Pick up non-perishables during regular shopping trips.
• Get out the card list. A short, handwritten note is a hug by mail.
• Buy stamps, mailing tubes and envelopes.
• Order gift flowers, fruit, food baskets.
• Mail party invitations.
• Refill prescriptions, especially if planning travel.
• Line up babysitters.
• Children will be home from school. Try trading supervision with other families.
• Call for hair-cut, dog grooming appointments.
• Have a party-clothes dress rehearsal. Check hems, buttons, shoe heels.

Decking the halls:

• Find the tree stand and all the parts before you buy a tree.
• Measure your tree space, height and width.
• The earlier you buy a Christmas tree, the more careful you have to be that it does not dry out.
• Test outdoor lights before putting them up.
• Get out tree ornaments, discard broken ones. Test lights, buy extra bulbs, extension cords, wire hooks.
• Buy white candles. They go with everything.

Giving is a gift:

• Hand out newspaper ads and catalogs. Ask loved ones for a wish list.
• Learn to say "No" without guilt. Children can handle it.
• If you are nervous about cyberspace, shop the internet with folks you know. Almost every catalog company has a Web site. Check shipping times before you order.
• Set space for gift wrapping. Stock with recycled paper, gift boxes, bags, scissors, ribbon, tape. Give lump of coal to anyone who removes scissors, ribbon or tape.
• Practical is great, but some gifts should be a small conceit, something the receiver wants but might not buy for him/herself.
• Order catalog gifts/mail presents by the middle of the month. Spend the money on gifts, not last minute special delivery fees.
• The U.S. Postal Service will leave your priority mail package; some delivery companies will not leave packages if no one is home.
• If a gift needs batteries, buy them before you get home. Consider rechargable batteries.
• Shop at the Post Office. Elvis and Marilyn Monroe stamps are big.
• Stop by the bank. Most branches have silver coins, two dollar bills. A crisp new bill is more special than a worn one. If you feel flush, get a savings bond.
• Consider helping a young wage-earner set up a Roth Individual Retirement Plan. The gift of thrift keeps on giving.

Shopping tips:

• Put children in car seats and buckle up yourself.
• Everything takes longer than usual this time of year. Allow at least one-third more time to travel, shop and stop for a bite.
• Keep a basket in your car for videos, library books to return, film to develop and discount coupons.
• The best times to shop are early Monday through Wednesday. If that is not possible, shop about 5:30 p.m. Day trippers are on their way home, night owls are eating dinner before they shop.
• If you shop at night, pick a well-lighted spot. Lock packages in trunk.
• Keep the gas tank full.
• Map shopping routes so you do not run into road construction or go back and forth across town. At malls, park near shops where you plan to finish.
• Use one handbag for the month. You will not have to transfer lists.
• Save your receipts.
• Wear comfortable shoes. Leave the heavy coat at home.
• Think "recyling," take a shopping bag from home to handle small packages. At stores, put two purchases in one bag.
• Drive defensively. Be tolerant of other drivers.

Planning the feasting, mid-month:

• Order turkey/ham/roast and party trays. Live a little. Try speciality breads like Greek Christmas bread and stollen (yeast bread with candied fruit). Sausage rolls at Leslie's French Pastries are heavenly for a winter's morning.
• Arrange a cookie-swap. Have six friends make six dozen cookies each and divide them.
• Set out baking supplies the night before.
• Freeze cookies. It will take longer to eat them.
• No time to bake? Buy plain cookies, let little ones decorate.
• If you plan one-trip shopping, take someone with you. Two carts are faster than one.
• Freeze latkes (potato pancakes) in tin-foil layers on cookie sheets.
• Copy a family recipe and give with love.
• Frying latkes, baking cookies is time-consuming. Call your mother/mother-in-law/aunt to chat. They will love it and it may keep you from the munchies.
• Double up when you cook meatballs, casseroles, stews and freeze for easy close-to-holiday dinners.
• Use see-through bags if you are casual about labeling packages.

The week of the holiday:

• Start making room in the refrigerator and eat or toss leftovers.
• Buy perishables. Get extra ice.
• Try one-pot dinners, pot roast, chili, chowder for nights before caroling or going to see the holiday lights.
• There is nothing wrong with "store bought." This is the season for which the deli was invented.

On the homefront:

• Clean ashes from fireplace; stack wood and kindling.
• Most wrapping paper is not recycleable. Plan to use it again. Do not plan to burn wrappings or paper plates in the fireplace. Get extra trash bags. Better yet, consider wrapping gifts in comics from The Salt Lake Tribune. Remove tape, and recycle.
• Do not let someone do holiday shopping at your house. Consider home security. Get lights-on timers. Keep an eye on your neighbor's house, too.
  Kitty litter works on icy walk and stair patches.
• A dab of vanilla extract on light bulbs smells great.
• Deodorize a carpet by sprinkling with baking soda or UNCOOKED oatmeal. Vacuum.
• Good time to change smoke alarm batteries.
• No time to clean? Wash the front door, the back of the bathroom door and the kitchen telephone.

Things to remember amid the hoopla:

• If you know someone who is alone during the holidays, make a call. Visiting someone in a nursing home or hospital will warm your insides.
• If you are alone for the holidays, ask someone to share a movie or walk through the neighborhood to see decorations.
• Hug the children, the cat and dog. Easy with the cat.
• Speak to your bird, the rabbit and the iguana. Do not forget their food, water and shelter in the middle of festivities.
• Take care of yourself. Remember to eat, drink lots of water and get enough sleep.
• Smile. It is a gift you will get back.