The holiday season can be one of the most wonderful and busy times of the year. So it can be a happy holiday for the entire family - here are more than 45 time-saving tips.  The tips are in 12 different categories from sending holiday cards to cleaning up the kitchen.

Holiday Cards 📫

1. Email electronic cards.

2. Use an online card company to address and mail your cards.

3. Post one card to your social media accounts.

4. Send a holiday card every other year.

Travel Plans ✈️

1. Discuss travel plans with your partner before the rest of the family, so you can brainstorm without setting unrealistic expectations.

2. Decide with your partner who will book hotel/airline/event reservations.

3. Note planned events on the shared family calendar.

4. Make a packing list.

Decorating 🕎🎄

1. Decorate outside on a warm day.

2. Have a decorating party with the entire family.

3. Have the kids compete to create the coolest outside lighting setup.

4. Award a prize to whoever completes all of their decorating tasks the fastest.

Elf on the Shelf 🎅

1. Preplan where Elf on the Shelf will go.

2. Have your oldest child hide Elf on the Shelf.

3. Google “Elf on the Shelf hiding tips”.

4. Tell the kids Elf on the Shelf went back to the North Pole to help Santa.

Holiday Baking 🥧

1. Prepare and freeze cookie dough now and bake as needed.

2. Buy pre-made cookie dough.

3. Buy pre-made sugar cookies and decorate them with the kids.

4. Buy cookies and bag them up as your own 😉.

Self-Care 😴

1. Schedule breaks during the day.

2. Exercise regularly.

3. Schedule coffee or lunch with friends.

4. Take a nap.

Gifts 🎁

1. Buy gifts while running other errands.

2. Buy gifts online.

3. Give gift cards.

4. Give gifts only to the kids and charitable donations to each family.

Wrapping Presents 🛍️

1. Buy wrapping paper, tape, and ribbon early when you have more time.

2. Wrap gifts as you buy them.

3. Use gift bags instead of wrapping gifts.

4. Hide gifts around the house unwrapped and provide clues about where to find them.

Holiday Events 🥂

1. Schedule important holiday events with a shared family calendar.

2. Decline a party invitation.

3. Attend some events and have your partner attend others.

Housecleaning 🧹

1. Divide up the housecleaning among the family.

2. Hire a housekeeper to come before the in-laws arrive.

3. Spot clean and neaten up, but forgo a whole-house cleaning.

4. Embrace the beautiful mess of family life.

Food 🍽️

1. Have each kid make their favorite dish or have each guest bring a dish.

2. Buy the sides and put them in your own dishware 😉.

3. Order the whole meal from a restaurant or grocery store.

4. Go to a restaurant.

Kitchen Cleanup 🧽

1. Have each family member pick a kitchen cleanup chore out of a bowl (allow trades).

2. Post cleanup chores on sticky notes with a piece of candy taped next to each, to be eaten when complete.

3. Play holiday music and dance while doing the dishes.

4. Go to bed and do the dishes in the morning when everyone is fresher.

I hope you get some time back and best wishes for a wonderful and relaxing holiday season!

Hilary Kinney is the author of Project Management for Parents, a timeless book that provides resources for busy parents to streamline life at home. She is a certified Professional Project Manager with 17 years of experience at a Fortune 500 company.