6 last minute tips for surviving the holidays

The holidays can come with a lot of unanticipated stress, whether its a stained table cloth or an unwanted gift.

Reena Nerbas is a Canadian motivational speaker, columnistand author of many books on household solutions.

She shared her tips on how to survive the last minute holiday frenzy andavoid household problems.

1. An unexpected gift

You can'tpredict whetheryourneighbour, coworker, or friendwill show up at your house with a gift.

"You kind of go, 'uh oh,' now what do I do? I don't really want to go back to the mall," said Nerbas.

One easy and quick gift idea is taking a whisk and filling it with chocolates.

"If you have chocolates lying around, as you get so many chocolates at Christmas and you can't use them all, you put them in the whisk, then you wrap it in paper and you put a note saying 'We whisk you a Merry Christmas,'" said Nerbas.

You could also hit up a gas station nearby, purchasing a mug and stuffing it with chocolates, candy canesand a hot chocolate package.

Nerbas also suggests making your own body scrub by filling it with two cups of sugar, a third cup of cooking oil, and a quarter teaspoon of essential oils or a cooking extract like vanilla or peppermint.

2. Smells like Christmas

Don't worry if your home isn't as tidy as you hoped you'd have it by the time your guests arrive.

"If you make your house smell like the holidays, even a little clutter will be less noticeable," said Nerbas.

She suggests heating up a pot of water and placing fresh cranberries, cinnamon sticks, cloves, gingerand pomegranate juice or apple cider in it.

Another quick fix is placing a pan of cinnamon sticks in the oven.

3. Oh Christmas tree

Owning a real Christmas tree can get messy, whether its leaking sap or losing its needles.

Nerbas says that watering your pine tree regularly can help prevent needles from falling.

"What I like to do is take a gardening hose and attach a piece of garden hose to my watering can with a rubber band, and then I don't have to climb under the three to water it," said Nerbas.

When taking the tree in and out of the home, wrapping it with a tarp or bed sheet can help avoid a mess.

As for tree sap on the carpet, Nerbas recommends using mayonnaise on the stain first and then cleaning it with dish soap and water.

"It's the oil in the mayonnaise that works beautifully," said Nerbas.

4. Wax removal

For candle wax messes on table cloths, Nerbas says rubbing Head and Shoulders dandruff shampoo onto the cloth and then sticking it in the freezer works like a charm.

"The reason you want to use the dandruff shampoo is because if it's a coloured dye, that helps get rid of the dye colour," said Nerbas

Once it freezes, you can scrap the wax off the table cloth and wash it.

5. Red wine on the rug

You'll have to act quick to make sure that wine doesn't stain your carpet.

While the rug is still wet, Nerbas suggests pouring white wine onto the carpet.

"That will help get rid of the setting of the stain," she said.

She says Borax or salt also helpsoak up the wine.

"You'll see it turn red. Wait until it dries, and brush it off and then use dish soap and water to get rid of the stain."

6. DIY decor

Not everyone has the time or money to decorate, but Nerbas has some last minute festive ideas.

She says pine branches or pine cones can make nice centrepieces for the table.

Garland can be cut into rings and used for napkin holders. She also loves making edible tree decorations with her kids, like cookie ornaments or popcorn strings.

When it comes to wrapping paper, Nerbas keeps it eco-friendly by using tea towels to wrap gifts.

She added, "Don't throw out your [used] wrapping paper. At the end of the season, take that wrapping paper and wrap your ornaments in it, and protect them while you put them away because otherwise we're throwing all that expensive wrap out."