The holiday 15 minute rule

How is it only a week before Thanksgiving?

Once again I feel like the holiday has come way too fast and I'm so not ready.

This year it's our turn to host the family for Thanksgiving, and I haven't even started shopping yet. I lay the blame for my lack of being in holiday mode solely at the feet of Hurricane Sandy and our being powerless at our house for 10 days. Running my refrigerators on a generator for 6 hours a day didn't instill enough confidence for me to run out and buy a 25 lb turkey before now.

The day job requires me to be there five hours a day, hubby just started a new job that keeps him from home for 12 hours a day (including his commute time...poor guy!) and add to the mix 3 kids, 2 cats and a brand new puppy being housebroken and you've got a recipe for CONFUSION!

So I am instituting the "holiday 15 minute rule." I'm a big fan in breaking everything down into small bite-size chunks - everything from saving for a big purchase to a project that's huge and daunting - everything just seems more doable in small doses.

Not familiar with the 15 minute holiday rule? Here's the way things run in my house...

(1) Make a list of all the things that need to be done for the holiday. (And I mean ALL the things! Everything goes on the list.)
(2) Tackle the items on your list in 15 minute bursts. Don't be afraid to delegate - give the kids 15 minutes to do something on the list - even if it's folding napkins or making those holiday place cards.

For example, in 15 minutes I can pull out the holiday decorations from storage. In 15 minutes I can go through the pantry to determine what staples for the holiday baking I need to stock up on. In 15 minutes I can make the holiday food shopping list...etc.

By breaking it down into 15 minute chunks of time several times a day, I can accomplish most of my holiday stress list without being all that stressed - then I can concentrate on the larger issues like setting aside enough time to bake the pies, actually DO the holiday shopping and cooking the meal.

I also add in a few 15 minute time slots during the day to write 500 words and a coffee/tea break ('cause nobody's happy in my house if I'm stressed out!)

Now I need some easy holiday recipes, because I'm just tired of serving the same old things! Do you make anything easy and special for a change of pace?

Happy scribbling my friends!