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38 Clever Christmas Hacks That Will Make Your Life Easier

Take your holiday season from CRISIS to CHRISTMAS with these easy tips and tricks.

1. Use shiny green tinsel to make your Christmas tree look fuller.

Be sure to layer the tinsel on the inner branches to fill out the tree.

2. Use plastic cups to neatly store your ornaments.

3. Use egg cartons to store your smaller ornaments.

4. Wrap Christmas lights around a hanger to keep them from getting tangled.

5. Making gingerbread cookies? Turn them into ornaments that will last for years with three coats of varnish.

They won't rot! Get the recipe for gingerbread cookie ornaments here.

Or poke holes in them and string them as a garland.

6. With just a little tape, you've got an easy Christmas manicure.

7. Old Saran wrap or aluminum foil containers make great boxes for gifting cookies.

8. Freeze whipped cream on a cookie sheet and use a cookie cutter to make hot chocolate hearts.

9. Store your ice cream in a plastic bag to keep it soft and ready to serve.

10. Christmas candy sleighs make cheap and easy gifts for kids and teachers.

11. Reuse your leftover Halloween pumpkins to make snowmen.

12. Turn an old bulletin board into a pin-the-nose-on-the-reindeer game for the kids' table.

Directions here.

13. Master the Christmas tree napkin fold and you won't need to buy any special holiday napkins or napkin rings.

14. Cut off the fingers of gloves to make an adorable finger puppet kit.

15. Jars of candy cane Play-Doh makes an insanely easy gift for children.

16. Pretzel rings, Fruit Roll-Ups, and frosting are an easy way to make delicious snowman cookies.

17. Make adorable "elf" donuts out of Cheerios.

18. Keep the kids busy with three-ingredient snow slime.

You need Elmer's glue, borax, and iridescent glitter. Get the recipe here.

19. Pulverize candy canes and add them to EVERYTHING.

20. Use a cardboard box wrapped in gift paper as your garbage receptable on Christmas morning.

21. Cut branches from your Christmas tree to make easy table decor.

22. Command hooks and popsicle sticks make easy decorations that you can hang anywhere.

23. You can also use Command hooks to hang wreaths seamlessly over a door.

24. Glue two candy canes together to make easy place card holders.

25. Hang ornaments from a light fixture to transform it into a Christmas chandelier.

26. Load your icing into condiment bottles for an easy cookie decorating party.

27. Attach rope to your presents to make a handle.

28. Just a simple burlap garland will spruce up any front porch Christmas tree.

29. Use cookie cutters to make festive shapes out of your fudge and brownies.

30. Green food coloring and M&Ms turn Rice Krispie treats into a Christmas dessert.

31. For the adults: one made out of JELLO SHOTS.

32. Put your crockpot to good use when making food for the whole family.

You can make hot chocolate and Christmas morning vanilla bean French toast, all in your crockpot (albeit not at the same time!).

33. Serve guacamole the festive way with pita bread and pretzel sticks.

34. Reuse a wastebasket or a wine crate to corral your wrapping paper.

35. Green sherbet and Sprite make fun Grinch-inspired drinks for the kids.

36. Use double-sided tape for a more professional looking wrapping job.

37. Hang your wrapping paper on hooks using curtain rings.

38. Got an ugly Christmas sweater party to go to? Hot glue tinsel and gift bows to make something spectacularly tacky.