Kimberly’s Holiday Survival Guide to Staying Cool, Calm and Fabulous

I am not sure what has come over me. I am usually the last minute Nellie flying by the seat of my pants trying to make it all work somehow and trying to keep myself alive during the holiday season. Between buying gifts for neighbors, clients and six children I can barely manage to stuff the loot down into ugly bags just to get the chore checked off my to do list. Typically I put my holiday decorations up near the last minute and assure myself that I will enjoy them, but by the time I prepare everyone else’s homes for Christmas, there is very little left for mine. I always say to myself, I am not really entertaining this year so it doesn’t matter.

WELL THIS YEAR, I HAVE DECLARED A HALT TO THE CHAOS!!!!!

Instead, I am opting for a lovely, festive and happy time of the year. Abaraham Lincoln said that people are about as happy as they choose to be. Well, Ebernezer Scrooge said that people are about as unhappy as they choose to be. I have decided to put on a happy face, have a small party and get this Christmas chore list done so I can have a great holiday season. Here is what I have done to prepare:

Kimberly’s Holiday Survival Guide to Staying Cool, Calm and Fabulous

National Lampoons Christmas lights. I probably won’t get this carried away… but keeping a sense of humor around the holidays is always VERY helpful! DECORATE EARLY. Christmas is only 3 weeks from Thanksgiving this year so there is no time to waste. I have lots of houses to decorate for the holidays plus my book debuts the first week in December and I am already on book tour, so I have no time for dawdling! I am starting early and have vowed to not turn my lights on until the Thanksgiving festivities are over. After that, all is fair game. So far all of my holiday decorations are up and by November 25th! Yay me!!!!!! Oh, he is not THAT bad… but I have certainly had a few laughs looking for funny pics to go along with my Holiday Survival Guide! WRAP AS YOU GO. Ok, the only way not to murder your husband is to wrap as you purchase so that when he dumps his Christmas Eve purchase on you to wrap that you don’t totally freak out. I vowed this yeawr to wrap as I go and I have stuck to that plan. I wait until all the evening festivities are done each night and I wrap a little every night. This has really helped me not to feel overwhelmed. SHOP EARLY. Before the pickings are slim, I have been purchasing gifts since September. Granted I have a retail store and a lot of my purchases are from Knotting Hill, but there are some exceptions. I have been purchasing along and along. All that I have bought is already wrapped and I am so happy!!! I am not bragging, I am just saying that organization is your best friend during the holiday season. Cool way to plan and keep track of your holiday spending! Free paper (click on it!) PLAN AND SAVE. While cleaning out my holiday decorations I tucked last year’s menus in the box with the Christmas china. Now I don’t have to rethink everything. It’s all right there in a handy Ziploc with recipes included!! This saves a ton of time. I marked through what was not that successful and made suggestions. I don’t know about you, but my brain can’t remember that from year to year so a good list is handy! CODED WRAPPING PAPER FOR EVERYONE. It always annoys me to get to Christmas Day and be searching around early in the morning for everyone’s gifts. So this year, I have assigned everyone their own wrap. With as many children and now with a son-in law and future daughter in-law, there are a lot of us. By giving everyone their own wrap, the gifts are easy to identify even if I haven’t had my second cup of coffee!!! My kids are pretty sure that I have lost my mind this year as they have been all prepared for the familiar Mrs. Grumpy who emerges the last week of Christmas. They are actually starting to think that I am enjoying this holiday season since I am humming and clicking along with my holiday chores. And actually, they are right! I will keep you posted as time progresses as I think I am really onto something that seems so obvioius but has never quite worked for me until this year! I am already humming Christmas carols and planning my baking weekend! Either I have totally lost it or this is the Christmas for me!!! Stay tuned as things unfurl. We will see how this holiday survival guide works out. So far, I am a fan!!! For help with your home or room design please contact us atKimberly@knottinghillinteriors.com and visit our website. Follow Knotting Hill on Pinterest and Facebook. December 4th, 2013 | Tags: beautiful design, Charleston interior design, christmas decorating, christmas interior design, holiday survival guide, Interior design, interior design south carolina, interior designer, kitchen redesign, kitchen remodel, Myrtle Beach Interior Design, South Carolina Interior Design, southern christmas, Southern Interior Design, traditional christmas | Category: * Karen T. December 4th, 2013 at 6:25 am · Reply Great tips! Thanks! * Kathy Pelletier December 4th, 2013 at 4:22 pm · Reply Kimberly,
I get so much inspiration from you and your blogs and I look at them everyday and try and replicate something . Your decorations are beautiful and I love that you incorporate all the colors of Christmas-so festive and elegant too. Please post more pictures of your home-We enjoy that so much.
Ho Ho Ho
Kathy * Kimberly Grigg December 4th, 2013 at 5:08 pm · Reply Kathy – thank you SO much for your dedication to reading my blog! You have perfect timing! I am having my home photographed next week with some updates I have made this year and will post the pics on the blog!