There is a way to stay sane through all of this. The simplest way is to look at it as one big event with different stages: A grand feast with multiple courses.

Use a separate planner just for the holiday season. It should include a calendar, a "to do" list and a place for notes. Plot your events with your family like a giant roadmap spanning the month. List all the activities you have planned from ice skating parties to office events. Also include events you'll host along with houseguests who will stay with you. Make this planning a party for the entire family. In fact, why not serve the first hot cider of the season then?

Then step back and evaluate. Ask yourself and your family these questions:

• Do we need more space for people to sleep? ( see Holiday House Guests)
• Do we need more food storage – cold or dry? When should we make our big shopping trips for food, presents, seasonal necessities, etc?
• Will my oven or dishwasher (or other appliance) make it through another busy holiday season or is it time to upgrade? There is still time to schedule a replacement.
• Does the living room look tired? A rug cleaning and a couple of new pillows or even new curtains can make all the difference. Maybe something shiny and seasonal that you can take down again after the holidays could be added. Slipcovers are usually more expensive than re- upholstery, but a chair or sofa can be measured in your home and finished without taking your furniture away. Adding fresh flowers every week instead of that dusty silk arrangement from yesteryear is another way to create a different focus.

Perhaps this year is the time to change the table setting. Unless you think a family mutiny will break out if the heirloom china is not used, consider a change of pace and color for plates, tablecloths and glasses. Mail order is the easiest way to go about getting the stuff for a reasonable price. West Elm has a beautiful collection of China red pillows and throws. So do Crate and Barrel and their modern hip daughter company CB2.

When the handy (wo)man in the family is about to go berserk from the flurry, put him or her to work! Suggest that they get out and clean the gutters. Check for leaves and other debris that could clog the gutters. It could very well prevent ice damage to your roof later on. Now is also a great time to check the grade of your yard soil where it hits the walls of your house. It's all about keeping water and moisture outside your house and not letting it in. If need be, it is an opportune time to re-grade away from the house or install a French drain now just before the soil freezes.

Do we have time for all this? Maybe not all of it. But if you look at the season as one giant event with several diverse phases, you can pick and chose your way through the most important activities. Before you know it, you'll be on the other side of January and saying, “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”