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Ten Tips for Making It Across the Christmas Finish Line in Style

by Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach

The heat is on as Christmas approaches. You're late, you're late, for a very important date?? Here are some handy tips you might can use!

1. Still want to send Christmas photo cards? Send your Christmas photo postcards online. http://www.amazingmail. com/php/uspsstart.php3 is the link. (www.usps.gov). You send your photo--JPEG of 3Mb or less--or choose one of their images, they mail out your Christmas postcards at 79 cents apiece. Created online and mailed out the next business day. 1-10,000, no maximum no minimum. How easy is that?

2. Gift certificates. Give a gift certificate, BUT it doesn't have to be from a franchise. You can do it for something in the person's hometown. Any restaurant merchant worth their salt will accommodate. Last year about this
time (sigh), I called my daughter-in-law's favorite restaurant in Dallas and asked them if they had gift certificates. They said "Not until now," and emailed me something to print out, charging it to my credit card. (P.S., get to the manager not the person who answers the phone)

3. Going on vacation? Can't stand one more driving errand? I hate going to the post office and standing in line to fill out that form to have my mail held. You can order your mail held online - www.usps.gov.

4. The perfect gift ... money. Send it online. http://www. usps.com/ is one link. You can also use PayPal, WorldPay and other such services. You can send money to anyone with an email address.

5. The gift that keeps on giving. Magazine Mall, Inc., through an affiliation with the United States Postal Service, offers you thousands of magazines at savings of up to 85% off retail prices. They claim to meet or beat all prices. Here's the link: http://www.usps.com/magazines/welcome.htm

6. You may wish you'd done it earlier, but now can be just the time to order something online.

Many companies will be giving last-minute specials to urge you to buy, buy, buy, including free shipping. Florists, retailers, book stores, you name it. If you have a favorite online buying site, check it out to see what enticements they're offering last-minute shoppers.

7. Read what you'd ordinarily consider "spam." Retailers are after your holiday bucks and you're running out of time and ideas, so read what they send you! The same goes for those flyers you get in the snail mail.

8. Think caterer. Sure you'd like to do it all yourself, but you just can't, right? Bake one thing special and make use of caterers for other things. (Personally I don't like frozen pies from the grocery.) Another example -- I don't like the pressure and last-minute thing about making turkey gravy. There's a caterer here in town who sells turkey gravy by the pint that's absolutely divine. Order now, pick up whenever. It's frozen!

9. Grocery shop at off hours. Most grocery stores are open 24/7. Take advantage of this! Be creative, as in, if the baby wakes up at 1 a.m. and shows no signs of going back to sleep (it happens!), pack him up and go grocery shopping. You aren't going to be sleeping anyway, and this way you avoid the crowds. He'll fall asleep on the drive home, and you'll have killed two birds with one stone!

10. Use your social network. Ask around when you're stuck. People at work can give you some great suggestions about what to get that impossible uncle, or where to go at the last minute, because they're aren't involved and are thinking clearly. So can your coach! Two heads are better than one, especially this time of year!

(c)Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach, is the author of "How to Write Articles for the Internet." Visit her on the web at www.susandunn.cc . Susan offers a variety of top notch ebooks, e-courses and personal coaching to boost your EQ. and profitability.