Every year I resolve to start getting ready for the holidays a little earlier. I always seem to wait until the last minute and then I get majorly stressed out. With Christmas less than a month and a half away {!}, I’m determined to get organized! I’ve partnered with Cosmopolitan to share some of the ways I’m getting ready for the holidays this season:
WRAPPING PRESENTS
As much as I love wrapping presents it can take a long time, especially when you have a lot of people on your “nice” list. I realized a great way to chip away at this task is by doing it while I watch TV. If I’m watching a show I can easily wrap presents on the coffee table, and by the time it’s over I’ll have a nice pile of wrapped presents to show for it. I love multi-tasking! These wide leg jeans from Buffalo are a super comfortable choice for sitting on the floor wrapping presents. I’m thinking they’d even make a good gift for my Mom this Christmas. Who else is ready to bring back the wide leg jeans?
TO DO LISTS
I really live by my To Do lists and they’re so helpful for keeping me on top of everything. I sync my lists on my phone with my laptop so I can add or subtract to them on the go. It’s helpful to see everything I need to do and what is manageable on a daily basis. Also, I can see what tasks can be outsourced to Matthew!
SECRET SANTA GIFTS
Do you ever have a last minute party come up and you need a Secret Santa gift? Last year I remember looking through my desk to see what funny things I could gift. This year I’m going to be on the hunt sooner so I have a back-up supply! My girlfriends love their flavored cocktails so I thought this Kinky Liqueur would be a fun option that everyone would love!
BEAUTY PREP
With holiday parties happening on a weekly basic throughout November and December I want to make sure I feel ready! The two ways I feel most together is by having a shiny manicure and some groomed eyebrows. Now that I don’t have my bangs to hide behind I need to get regular brow maintenance. After my last brow wax at European Wax Center I picked up a grooming comb and a brow powder which I now use daily. A gift card and brow product would be a fun and easy gift for my friends too! I know they’re all as brow-obsessed as I am! Also, keeping up a gel manicure will help prevent a pre-party chipped nail fiasco! If you’re not sure which lipstick to wear to a holiday party, just think red! It’s the most festive choice and will pull the rest of your outfit together.
RECIPE TESTING
Matthew and I host a yearly holiday party and one thing I’m determined to do this year is test all my recipes before the night of the party. Seems obvious right? Actually doing it is a whole other story though! December nights are always so busy but if I can block out some time to test cookies and cocktails I’ll feel a lot more confident on the night of our party. This year I’m making a spiked hot chocolate. I added a little bit of Pinnacle® Whipped® Vodka and it is so so good! Here’s the recipe:
Spiked Hot Chocolate
12 ounces of whole milk
4 ounces half and half
1 cinnamon stick
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup sugar
1.5 ounces Pinnacle Whipped Vodka
whipped cream and cinnamon sticks, for garnish
Directions
In a saucepan, warm the milk, half and half and the cinnamon stick. Once the mixture is heated, remove the cinnamon stick, add the unsweetened cocoa powder and sugar. Whisk until smooth. Remove from heat, and add the vodka. Divide between two mugs and top with whipped cream and cinnamon sticks.
Are you getting excited or nervous about the upcoming holiday season? If you have any tricks for staying on top of things, or lessons learned from previous years, please share below! Also, visit Cosmopromo.com to enter the #GiveGreatGifts Tweetstakes for a chance to win some fun products!
xox
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Beam Suntory Inc. sent me a bottle of Pinnacle® Whipped Vodka to try. All content is original and all opinions are my own. All trademarks are the property of their respective owner. Thanks for supporting my sponsors who allow me to create new content for the site.
