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December 2009 Keep-It-Together Checklist

Notepad with a pencil

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  • Make your (gift) list and check it twice. Avoid mall madness and do your holiday shopping online. You’ll be less tempted by impulse buys and can arrange wrapping and shipping directly from the retailer.
  • Save money on decorations. Order holiday supplies from papermart.com, nashvillewraps.com, and save-on-crafts.com and you could save up to 50 percent. Or check out the gems for sale on shopgoodwill.com (the auction site of Goodwill stores).

    Related: How to Save on Holiday Decorations

  • Get luminous skin. ’Tis the season for holiday parties—and the resulting day-after dull skin. Reduce puffiness, cover dark circles, and reduce blotchiness with new flaw-fixing products.

    Related: Improve Your Skin Instantly

  • Clean out your refrigerator. Make room for your holiday cooking by using smart storage options to create an efficient, well-organized space where you can find the capers every time.

    Related: The Ultimate Refrigerator Makeover

  • Take your vitamins. You may have outgrown the Flintstones version a long time ago, but you should still get a daily dose of vitamins. Find out the differences among multivitamin options and which is best for you.

    Related: Are You Taking the Right Vitamin?

  • Prepare hors d’oeuvres before your guests arrive. Many appetizer recipes can be cooked in advance and reheated or assembled at the last minute. Even impressive small dishes can be prepared early in December and frozen until party time.

    Related: Spiced Beef Empanadas With Lime Sour Cream

  • Open a clamshell package gracefully. Odds are you’ll receive at least one gift in the theft-deterring and hard-to-open packaging. Master the clamshell with this easy-to-open technique: Grab a standard rotary can opener. (Make sure it’s sharp.) Flip the package over so you’re looking at the back, clamp the can opener on the top-right edge of the package, then cut all the way around. Voila!

Related Content

How To: Wrap a Present

How to Wrap a Present

Are you one of those people who find the perfect gift but can’t get the wrapping right? Follow the easy method in this video. See how to wrap a gift.

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