Forget Perfect!

5 Entertaining Tips for Real Women

By Lisa Earle McLeod

Oh the horror! Dirty laundry! Frozen quiche! Mismatched plates! Be the first in your crowd to try these 5 tips for sloppy entertaining, and the rest of us real women will love you forever:

Save the fine china for when the queen visits. Buy themed paper products and nobody gives a hoot. Add a 55-gallon hefty bag for cleanup and you're good to go. Forget the body-squeezing undergarment. You deserve permission to exhale. Buy yourself a fab blouse, drape it over basic black with an elastic waistband and join us at the bean dip. Don't make yourself crazy trying to master fancy canap豮 Save your sanity and load up on prepackaged food at the warehouse club, or even slip in some takeout. Your mother-in-law will never know, and your girlfriends will never tell. Just because you bought it and didn't bake it doesn't mean you can't serve it with style and love. Hostess doesn't mean hand servant. Kids, husbands and hired teenage helpers can all take a turn. And if the crackers aren't artfully arranged in a fan-shape pattern, nobody but you will know. Forget the trappings and trimmings; focus on family and friends and have some fun. Holidays aren't a test of your womanhood, so quit the comparathon. Sure it's less work, but let's face it, you're worth it.

Want to see more?

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• Ready or Not, Here They Come: Preparing Yourself and Your Home for the Holidays
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