· Make totally edible Christmas ornaments by stringing popcorn and hanging cookies, nuts and candy.
· Decorate a red or green tube sock and use as gift wrap to hold a bottle of wine or a small toy.
· Wrap oversized gifts in a holiday-patterned tablecloth.
· Host a craft party to make decorations to donate to a charity.
· Charter a bus to tour your city's best decorated homes and hold your holiday party onboard.
· Give the gift of yourself by volunteering at a shelter.
· Roll up a magazine with a ribbon and attach a card giving the recipient a year's subscription for a last-minute gift.
· Enhance your New Year's party with clocks all set to ring at midnight.
· Keep a few generic wrapped gifts on hand in case you get an unexpected present.
· Wrap large, odd-shaped gifts in a decorated green leaf bag.
· Hang old ornaments close to the tree's trunk to add depth and color.
· Tie decorations with ribbon to your tree if you have small children or pets.
· A fabric-draped ironing board makes a great temporary sideboard to hold food or bar items.
· Recycle old holiday cards as gift tags.
· In small quarters, use your kitchen counter for your buffet and your stove's burners as a chafing rack.
· Serve only bite-sized party food to eliminate plates and utensils.
· Make your New Year's tablecloth from pieced-together calendar pages.
· Send a shamash with your Hanukkah invitation and ask guests to help you light your menorah.
· Sew napkins from African-patterned fabric for your Kwanzaa celebration.
· Hold your holiday party away from the office to put employees in a more festive mood.
· Rent a chipper to turn your old Christmas tree into mulch.
· Ask guests to recount their favorite childhood holiday memory.
· Illuminate your walkway with poinsettias decorated with white twinkle lights.
· Offer only eggnog and punch to reduce your beverage costs.
· Camouflage your artwork as decorated gifts.