5 Tips For Staying Chill This Christmas Season In The OS

Whether you’re going in search of the Rhody version of the quintessential New England Christmas tree (Apparently lobster trap trees are a thing! From Massachusetts to Maine and points in between…You might find me in Newport looking for an Insta worthy one, just throwing THAT out there.) or you still haven’t put up your tree at home, this time of year can be an odd mix of excitement and exhaustion.

a lobster trap tree in Provincetown, MA (Photo by DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images)

In other words, it's a lot! And frankly, we're all feeling it, more so this time around because of the shorter window between Thxgiving and Xmas. Precisely why I’ve put together (with a little help from a few friends and contributors to the site) these Holiday life hacks to make the coming weeks less stressful.

1. The Plastics: Add the app for your credit card to your smart phone. Or sign up for text alerts on your purchases. Either way, completely life changing because you’ll see immediately how much money you’re actually spending. A nice wakeup call if (like me) you enjoy shopping a little too much.

2. Bye Bye Paper Cuts: Find stores that offer complimentary (FREE) gift wrapping. Bought a few hardcovers the other day at Barrington Books Retold in Garden City and they asked if I needed them wrapped. Hooray, that’s what I’m talking about!

3. Outsmart The Porch Pirates: Don't get packages delivered to your house - unless you're going to be at home during the day. Reports of stolen ones skyrocket this time of year. Thieves tend to tail delivery trucks right about now, so they can swipe the packages from your front stoop. (The peeps at the NY Times were the ones who first coined the term porch pirates a few years back btw.)

Have a happier Christmas by arranging to pick up at UPS or FedEx. Might be a slight inconvenience, but it's way easier than having to replace gifts that have been lifted.

4. Sometimes Being EXTRA Can Be A V. Good Idea: Keep a few extra gifts on hand. Maybe a bottle of wine or three too. I used to work with a woman who had a gift closet in her house. It might sound kind of Real Housewives-ish and over the top at first, but wait until those friends and family members you thought weren't coming show up at the front door with gifts in hand.

5. Create Your Own Ride Share: Sure you can summon Uber or Lyft, (I’m loving the Comfort option on Uber RI these days, especially because you can request a “quiet car.”), but you can also guilt trip your SO (significant other) or bestie into chauffeuring you around, thus avoiding parking hassles, headaches, and tickets. And wouldn't you rather spend that $25+ parking fine on lunch or dinner with them or a new lipgloss?

*This post has been updated and revised from one that appeared previously on the site.