If You Have 1 Hour
16. Plan a fun outing. If you’ll be visiting friends or family in another city for several days over the holidays, book something—a restaurant reservation, theater or sports tickets—so you’ll be guaranteed some time on your own. The five-minute solution: Call your host or a friend from the area and ask for
recommendations. Or take the hour to explore Citysearch (
www.citysearch.com) and AOL CityGuide (
www.digitalcity.com), which list what’s cooking, playing, and happening in every city in the country.
17. Dress up the mantel. Streamline your seasonal decor by creating a mantelpiece tableau that will take you from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. Mix pure white candles of various widths and heights (pillar candles from Cocoon, $3 to $8,
www.cocoononline.com). A single color scheme also works well. Keep it simple by tucking just one type of greenery—such as dried magnolia, eucalyptus leaves, or wheat—around the base of the candles, perhaps adding walnuts or Brazil nuts here and there as accents.
18. Organize a charity auction. You could just write a check, but why, when you can simultaneously declutter, entertain, and triple your donation instead? Spend an hour calling everyone in your family to announce that there’s going to be a charity auction at the holiday get-together this year. Tell them to bring their checkbooks and anything they think they can sell for more than $10—trade-show freebies, appliances still in their boxes, that bottle of Moët & Chandon that’s been in the fridge for three years. Auction it all off at cocktail hour and have everyone write the checks to a charity. To research worthy ones, go to GuideStar (
www.guidestar.org), where you can type in your ZIP code and specify the kind of charity you’re interested in. Not only will you have the pleasure of giving, but you’ll also provide everyone a change from the usual charades.
19. Count the tableware. Don’t wait till you’re setting the table to realize you’re short three dessert spoons or in need of a big, beautiful bowl for the pasta. Once your menu is planned and your guest list is set, make a list of how many place settings and which serving pieces you’ll need. If you’re short on anything, see if you can borrow from a relative, then add “Remind Auntie Mary to bring fish platter” to the master checklist. Or take the opportunity to fill in the gaps in your set. Before the dinner, make sure all the plates are stacked and ready to grab. If you’re expecting eight guests, plan for 10 to allow for the inevitable cousin-who’s-passing-through-
and-has-nowhere-to-
celebrate phenomenon.
20. Plan a playlist.With these classic holiday CDs, no one will ever mistake your party for a mall.
Emmylou Harris,
Light of the Stable Elvis Presley, Christmas Peace (2003 version) Ella Fitzgerald,
Ella Wishes You a
Swinging Christmas Patty Loveless,
Bluegrass and White Snow Vince Guaraldi Trio,
A Charlie Brown Christmas James Brown, James Brown’s Funky Christmas The Chieftains,
The Bells of Dublin Frank Sinatra,
A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra Harry Connick Jr.,
Harry for the Holidays Dean Martin,
A Winter Romance 21. Make (and store) hors d’oeuvres. Life’s too short to be messing with skewers and deep fryers at your own cocktail party. Instead, go with bruschetta, one of the simplest, most impressive appetizers you can serve.
A day or two before: Arrange a half-pint of whole or halved cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and top with the leaves from 10 sprigs of thyme. Roast in a preheated 425° F oven until soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.
Just before serving: Toast a loaf of thinly sliced French bread on a baking sheet in a 350° F oven until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil, top with the room-temperature tomatoes, and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
