Speaking of gifts, it is good to know that there are some things you should never ever take as a housewarming gift.

For example, be really mindful with food gifts.

If you're known for making something special and delicious, great. But think about the lifestyle and allergies of the recipient.

Don't take something modern if they love antiques. Don't take alcohol if you know they don't drink. Don't take yummy dessert if they're on a diet. You get the picture. Read more

• What Not to Bring for a Housewarming Gift

Photo: (c) Claudio Maciel

It's a good idea to have a gift in hand when you visit a friend's new home. Whether you're inclined toward traditional gifts or something unique and very personal, welcome your friends or neighbors to their new home with a gift that's practical, useful, and a memory-maker.

One nice thing about housewarming gifts is that they don't need to be wrapped. Pull something together, put it in a gift bag or basket, and ring the doorbell.

If you're making a first visit to a family member's new home, you might have had a hand in helping with the move. If so, you might know exactly what they'll need in the new home.

If they've moved from a large home to a smaller one, organization supplies might come in handy. Read more

• Find a Housewarming Gift To Remember

Can you believe there's only one week 'til Thanksgiving? Hopefully you've got almost everything ready. Sailing through these final chores will be a breeze.

Get your Guest Room ready for your house guests.

Prepare your Thanksgiving menu, including all the add-ons, like butter with rolls, cream and sugar with coffee, lemon for the water, and whipped cream with your pumpkin pie. This way, you won't forget anything!

Start to assign tasks to members of your family, so that everyone will participate and feel a part of the day.

If you plan to use a professional florist, this is the time to order online or visit your local florist. Read more

• Countdown To A Perfect Thanksgiving: One Week Left

Photo: (c) Gaston Thauvin

Crisp nights and shorter days are signals of the approaching holiday season. In preparation for seasonal entertaining, now is a great time to freshen up your living space with simple and easy painting ideas.

Debbie Zimmer, of the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute, offers suggestions on how to create a festive atmosphere for each room of your home.

For example, you can use professional faux painting and rich velvet chair covers to give the room a very warm, elegant look without any traditional Christmas colors.

Or, get creative with a color hue from a favorite holiday gift bag. Read more

• Get Your Home Ready to Shine and Sparkle with New Paint Colors

Photo: (c) Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute

We have lots of decor ideas for your Thanksgiving celebration: centerpieces, creative tablesettings, projects, crafts, menus, and entertaining ideas.

Explore our photo project pages with ideas for beautiful table centerpieces, follow the easy, step-by-step instructions with wonderful photos to make your own bowl arrangements, or see how you can use an odd number of candles to create an impressive Thanksgiving centerpiece. Read more

• Your Guide to Thanksgiving Decorating and Entertaining

There's really no one way to start a decorating project. You can get the bug by looking at a magazine or seeing a beautiful fabric in a store. But whichever way the inspiration comes to you, do not move ahead without a plan.

If you avoid these common decorating project planning mistakes, you're bound to have a satisfying time and end up with a coordinated new space.

Should you paint first? Select the wallpaper? Buy a bargain piece of furniture? While there are many ways to approach a decorating project, don't make the mistake of moving ahead without any plan at all.

If you start decorating without a plan, you're going at it backwards. Don't end up with a piece of furniture that serves no purpose or a color scheme that doesn't work.

At all costs, avoid the following things. Read more

• How NOT TO Sabotage Your Decorating Project Before You Start

Photo: Janis Christie / Getty Images

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