It's all fine and good to say that you're not going to get caught up in the craziness of the holiday season this year. The only little snag with this picture is: You actually like to buy presents, bake cookies, and, well, cook. However, there are some nice shortcuts you can take that will take nothing from the fun of the party, but will allow you to stay more relaxed and keep stress from ruining your good time!

Plan Ahead. Don't forget to ask your guests ahead of time if they have special dietary requirements or preferences (allergies, vegetarian, etc). Decide ahead of time what you want to cook, and ensure that you have all the ingredients on hand. You can even go as far as to cook some of the meals beforehand and thereby save yourself a lot of stress.

Try Fewer Side Dishes. Cutting down on the side dishes can save yourself quite a bit of time and effort, there are loads of creative recipes for this time of the year. Bake some home-made bread, pick a salad or two and make a lot of them. This will mean that there's plenty of food even though there is less variety.

Let Others Help. Another fun way to simplify your meal is to let others help with the cooking. Ask friends to make a favorite dish and bring the recipe to share. You'll have dinner taken care of and plenty of new entries for your cookbook. In this way it save you a lot of time and effort and everyone feels good that they've contributed to the joy of the party.

Use clay pots to hold bread, a birdhouse feed to hold napkins or a child's inflatable water ring to hold plates. This will make for a more interesting table, using usual things in unusual ways.

Welcoming guests in person at the door makes everybody feel at home instantly. This will remove any uncomfortable moments where the guest wonders if they should just come in, where to put their items, etc. Give them a brief tour of where the food, smoking area, and restrooms are and then direct them to where you want to maintain your guests. Most people will choose a living room or parlor, though with warmer weather, you may choose an outdoor party.

Make sure you also consider the designated drivers and non-drinking friends! Keep a supply of fun and festive non-alcoholic drinks on hand.

Set up a drink and dessert bar. Do it ahead of time and it allow your guests to help themselves.

Allow yourself sufficient time to dress and relax before your guests arrive and your party begins and remember most importantly have some fun!