Travel light! Give lots of thought to what you really need. Once you commit to your wardrobe choices, follow this packing order to keep creases to a minimum: First, lay out jackets…then shirts/blouses and pants/skirts…followed by jeans—all folded in half across the length of the suitcase. Shoes and undergarments go in the corners.

This is a fun and inexpensive craft...easy enough to do with your kids. Make napkin rings from empty tubes of toilet tissue or paper towels. Cover the tubes by pasting on paper that matches your table or room décor. You can use construction paper, wrapping paper, leftover wallpaper, last season’s sample wallpaper books (available at your local paint store) or even newspaper—try the comics.

Once the tube is covered, cut it crosswise into equally sized pieces—about 1½ inches wide. (Any large pair of scissors will do the job. The cardboard loops easily pop back into shape.) If you use solid paper to cover the tubes, you can also decorate them with stickers, sequins and ribbon.

We recently set a dinner table with a solid red tablecloth, napkin rings covered in black-and-white magazine excerpts with thin red ribbon tied around them, white linen napkins and white dinnerware. Conversations started immediately as dinner guests read their napkin rings and shared the articles.

Today is the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year. If the lack of sunlight gets you down, try this relaxing mood lifter. While running a warm bath, prepare a cup of chamomile tea. Chamomile is a common aromatherapeutic remedy for sadness. Add the used tea bag to the bath, along with a new one. If you use loose chamomile, wrap the herb in cheesecloth before putting it in the tub to avoid messy cleanup. Peppermint tea is also a good mood lifter, especially if you’re feeling a little fatigued from the holidays.

Once the bath is ready, take a pen and paper along with your cup of tea and relax in the tub. Make a list of a dozen wishes as you sip your tea. The things you wish for just might come true.

When we travel, we pack a small rubber doorstop for added protection and you might want to do so as well. When you are in your hotel room for the night, lock the door and wedge the doorstop under your room door from the inside. This may give you peace of mind and a better night’s sleep.