Christmas Countdown Day 8: Reality Check Week!

Halloween has come and--and the holidays won't be far behind. Newspaper ads weigh down the Sunday paper, and a few brave retailers kick off "pre-holiday" sales. It's the quiet week before the rising tide of holiday season to come.

Time for a Reality Check! During Reality Check Week, we take aim at holiday illusions. What are the ideas, preconceptions, and habits that drain the joy from your family's holidays?

Granted, this isn't always the easiest week. We'll be examining about several hot-button holiday issues. Money. Time. Stress. Unrealistic expectations. These factors are the not-so-secret underside of holiday joy. Don't be surprised if this week's exercises raise some holiday-related anxieties. At the holidays, is there ever enough time, enough money, enough energy?

There's a method to this madness. By taking a long, cool look at the forces and ideas that burden holiday observances, we gain the power to change them: to simplify, scale down and reign in holiday excess.

We won't leave you alone and in the lurch; each day, you'll find ideas and inspiration to arm yourself against holiday joy-killers.

Ready? Time for a Reality Check ... to get organized for your family's most joyous Christmas ever:

to do this week ...

Reality Check Week Assignments

to do today ...

Spring forward, Fall back . . . and check the smoke detector! Change smoke detector batteries twice a year, on Time Change Sundays. While you're there, hold a burning match beneath the detector. Does the alarm sound loudly enough to wake a sleeping family?

Carbon monoxide is a silent killer. Is your family protected? Install carbon monoxide detectors for holiday peace of mind.

Card call! Divide the Christmas Card List into five groups. Write and address one group this week.

Create a Master Shopping List. Save time, energy and stress with a Master Shopping List. As the season progresses, note all "to buy" items on a single list. Do group entries by store or category. Grab the list when you go out the door to cut multiple errands during this busy time.

to print today ...

Week 2 Checklist

Shopping List

to read today ...

Ten easy ways to turn down holiday stress and create a simpler celebration:

Simplify Your Holidays: Ten Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday Season