Final Holiday To-Do’s: This is a Job for Starbucks

Christmas Eve is tomorrow and boy have I been swamped. I am sure you have, too. And I bet you still have one or two things to get done before all the festivities begin.

This marathon of sparkles, ribbon, stamps and errands can only be done with the help of coffee. I’m completely serious. The past two weeks I’ve been up until 1:30 a.m. wrapping teacher gifts, coworkers’ gifts, labeling greeting cards…the list goes on.  And every morning I’ve had to get up and go to work. I can’t do it without coffee, and to try and stay in the spirit of the holiday without losing my mind, I drink Starbucks. Heck. The holiday package sitting next to my coffee maker as I stare, bleary-eyed, waiting for my jolt of courage to brew cheers me up and gets me humming jingle bells.

I mean, look at it.

It’s all shiny and happy.

And it has a rich, spicy yet smooth flavor, just what mamma needs to get my family to the finishing line of Christmas.

What does that entail?

So I have over-achiever issues. And every year, I custom design our greeting card, preferably with infographics about what we did as a family over the past year. I’m an art director by trade, so I get a sick fun doing these. I even do a bit of math to make sure the graphs and data are as accurate as possible. Sometimes this attention to detail makes these cards late. Well, I just got my babies in the mail this past weekend, thanks to my helper-hubby-elf, but this is later than usual.

Some of my greeting card tips:

There are always some people you still need to cover off on a couple days before Christmas. Here is a list of ideas for you so you don’t need to stress on small gifts for hostesses, stylists, mailmen, Girl Scout leaders, interns and the like.

• Gift cards. Every store, online and off, has gift cards. Etsy gift cards, Target gift cards, Starbucks gift cards, even Subway gift cards. I got a $10 Subway gift card from one of my scouting families and it came in very handy when I forgot my lunch one day and wanted a sandwich! They basically treated me to lunch! Small yet practical gestures are usually the best gifts. Wrap the gift card in a small box to make it feel more special.
• Bag of goodies. Grab a gift bag and buy some miscellaneous things within your budget and stick with a theme. Fill it with golf balls and tees, or supplies for a manicure, or make it coffee themed by visiting Starbucks. They have great small edibles, bags of coffee and great mugs and cups to make a really nice hostess gift.

• An ornament: If you know your recipient celebrates Christmas, give them a cool ornament. It seems they have a holiday ornament for just about any interest now. This is a gift they can enjoy yearly. They will think of you every time they decorate the tree. I have ornaments from many past coworker friends who I don’t see much anymore. Every time I pull out one of their ornaments to decorate the tree, I think of them and smile.
• Kitchen presents and handmade gifts: Put up some jam this summer? Or tomatoes? Bake some holiday cookies? Have a special hot cocoa mix you always make? The dollar store has great jars, tins, plates, and boxes and you can fill them all with your special kitchen prowess. Tag it cutely and there you go! Something special from your heart and hands is always well received. And if you’re really crafty, you can make some hand made gifts quite quickly. My favorite is the upcycled handmade scarf I make for my female pals. You can make a scarf in about 2 hours. How about some wine charms? Or fingerless gloves?