Be Ready for Anything: Holiday Edition
Prep away from a doomsday holiday.
As Mike Tyson reminds us, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” While we tend to favor the sunny side of the street, even the most Pollyanna of vibes must at times (like now) succumb to prepper tendencies. We can just see the lines, empty shelves and impromptu visits now—but instead of lamenting our lost optimism, we are going to lean into our “ready for any scenario” skills to make sure that our holidays come and go without a catastrophe of our own design.
Should I stay or should I go?
The upcoming holiday cocktail of COVID, flu season and indoor-gathering is bound to produce some real nail-biters. So in addition to reviewing our break-the-glass COVID plan, we suggest adding rapid tests to your medicine cabinet arsenal. At this point, they are fortunately widely available and relatively inexpensive. Our pharmacist likes these, and while they don’t even profess to be perfect, they may settle some is-it-or-isn’t-it fears and ensure you don’t bring an unwanted pathogenic guest to your gathering. (Obvi: Consult your doctor if you feel you need further testing.)
Be extra present.
The bugaboo for any holiday planner? The dreaded “I forgot we need a gift for _______________.” To keep the mood mellow, we like to keep some extra pressies around juuuuust in case—whether the last-minute scenario is an impromptu office gift swap or an unexpected invite that has us reaching into our sack of gifts. We suggest picking up some wines with festive gift bags, these fun puzzles or this sweet paper chain kit to have on hand.
Wake and bake.
A year-round practice for us? Keep some cookie dough in the freezer to bake on demand, and there ain’t no time for cookies like holiday time. Eliminate the calculus of which bags and tins can house that dozen, and instead simply bake on-demand whatever quantity you need for a gathering (or just because). Simply make your dough and drop it all on a cookie sheet. Freeze cookies until firm, and then load ‘em up into a freezer bag. We find these ultra-festive, or you could go for a slice-and-bake version like these that freeze easily as rolls.
Post up.
Boxes, boxes everywhere—but not a single one that fits our presents. Enter this amazing invention, a lifesafer for that sprint to the PO. Sure, some packages deserve a box of their own, but we called in this genius self-mailing roll to wrap and send off gifts of all shapes and sizes last year—and you can bet your weight in postage we’ve already stocked our shelves with it again.
Make it souper.
In a season known for its bounty, it seems we’re always missing a meal. So this year, we’re going to stave off the hangries by prepping a favorite soup and stashing it away in personal portions that can be quickly reheated. We even found this brilliant container for the job. Of course, we still reserve the right to count a handful of sugar cookies as dinner.
