The New England Style Tree You'll Want To See & 4 Updated Traditions For Your Merriest Holiday

a lobster trap tree in Provincetown, MA

Whether you’re going in search of the Rhody version of the quintessential New England Christmas lobster trap tree (Apparently it’s a thing! From Massachusetts to Maine and points in between…The local one that keeps popping up on IG is located in front of The Lobster Shack in Newport, if you’re so inclined.) or you still haven’t put up your tree at home, this time of year can be an odd mix of excitement and exhaustion. Precisely why we've put together these Holiday life hacks to make your week, and this Christmas season, as stress free as possible. And hopefully also festive AF.

1. The Plastics: Add the app for your credit card to your smart phone. Or sign up for text alerts re: your purchases. Either way, completely life changing because you’ll see immediately how much money you’re actually spending. A nice wakeup call if (like us) you enjoy shopping a little too much.

2. Outsmart The Porch Pirates: Don't get packages delivered to your house - unless you're going to be at home during the day. Reports of stolen ones skyrocket this time of year. Thieves tend to tail delivery trucks right about now, so they can swipe the packages from your front stoop. (The peeps at the NY Times were the ones who first coined the term porch pirates a few years back btw.) Have a happier Christmas by arranging to pick up at UPS or FedEx. Might be a slight inconvenience, but it's way easier ultimately than having to replace gifts that have been lifted.

3. Give In To The Gift Closet: Keep a few extra gifts on hand. Maybe a bottle of wine or three too. One of us used to work with a woman who had a gift closet in her house. It might sound kind of Real Housewives-ish and over the top at first, but wait until those friends and family members you thought weren't coming show up at the front door with gifts in hand.

4. Create Your Own Ride Share: Sure you can summon Uber or Lyft, but you can also guilt trip your BF or BFF into chauffeuring you around, thus avoiding parking hassles, headaches, and tickets. And wouldn't you rather spend that $25+ parking fine on lunch with your bestie or SO (significant other) or a new lipgloss?

 Photo Credits: Photo by DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images (Used with permission and licensing)