If you were to rate your holiday organization and time saving skills, how high will your score be?

In other words, how good are you at keeping on top of things?

We have some great tips to help you stay organized this holiday season, see how many of them can you start applying right now.

Give yourself a break by staying on top of the holidays this year, you know you deserve it. Read more

• Top 10 Ways to Be More Organized for the Holidays

Photo: Trinette Reed / Getty Images

With only two weeks till Thanksgiving, get going on these tasks.

Start to make homemade holiday gifts or baked goods for Thanksgiving. You'll be happy not to get caught unprepared at the last minute.

Continue with your outdoor decorating. Add some special interest to your front door to welcome your guests.

Finalize your Thanksgiving menu and collect all your special recipes in a special folder. You may even want to laminate the recipes you'll be using, so they stay neat and clean.

My mother always prepared a fresh turkey--not a frozen one. This would be the time to order it from your favorite butcher so it's ready when you need to pick it up. It's getting harder and harder to find fresh turkeys, but ask around. Read more

• Countdown to a Perfect Thanksgiving: Two Weeks To Go

Whether you're shopping for your Christmas gifts ahead of time or doing some last-minute shopping, you'll find some of our ideas helpful.

These tips might not be the ultimate "solve-it-all" solution for Christmas shopping, but we tried our best. If you have any good tips to share with us, please do so!

So, the goal is to avoid the crowds, spend less money, and find Christmas gifts that everyone will really appreciate. Try some of these ideas if you like to get your shopping done early. Read more

• Smart Shopping Strategies to Avoid Crowds and Find Gifts Everyone Will Love

Photo: (c) Dee Ravel

Sometimes we concentrate on the party preparations, invitations, menus, cleaning, and so on -- and leave setting the table until the last minute.

Then comes the dilemma of what to put in the center of the table. Fortunately that challenge is easily solved. With a few minutes of planning and some basic materials on hand -- candlesticks, candles, fruit, greenery -- you can create something beautiful in a very short time.

Try some of these ideas next time you need a fast and easy centerpiece. Read more

• Quick Decor Arrangements for Thanksgiving Entertaining

Photo: (c) G.Morton