Holiday tidying tips

Holiday time means craft time for kids, and while it helps make homes look festive, all of the decorations, tree-trimming or Yule-tide treats can be a bit of a mess. Here's some advice for setting the festive tone and cleaning up common messes from celebrity hostess and founder of the popular Hot Moms online community, Jessica Denay:

"As a working mother running a busy household and operating several businesses, I know first-hand the importance of cutting corners when it comes to clean up, while especially during this crazy, busy time of year," said Denay. "Whether it's a festive party, gift wrapping galore or card-making with my kids, it's easy to save time, money and energy when it comes to clean up this holiday."

Smells Set the Tone - Put a pot of sliced apples, cinnamon sticks and water on the stove to simmer. Enjoy a home filled with an inviting, holiday aroma.

Holiday Party Hiccups - Don't panic if someone spills their red wine - you have time to get up the stain. If the party is in full swing, grab your canister of salt from the kitchen and cover the stain for 30 minutes or more. Then sweep off the salt and use a hand-vac to scoop up the rest. Blot with a club soda on a clean towel (or just throw the towel down and deal with the blotting after the guests have gone). For clothing stains, try chasing the red wine with white - it really works. Pour white wine on the red wine stain immediately and blot it away.

Glitter Glitches - Whether adding sparkle to the kids' creations or coming out of a holiday card, glitter can quickly get all over everything. First, grab a vacuum and get up as much as you can. Then, to make sure you get it all out of tight corners and in between the floor boards, head to the toy chest and grab the play dough, which glitter will cling to as you roll the dough over it (Bonus - glitter dough for the kids!). Adhesive tape also works well.

Cookie-Making Crumbles - A vacuum is your best bet for cleaning up spilled flour, sugar, sprinkles and more in the kitchen. You can also sprinkle salt on a damp cloth to clean up flour - the salt helps to keep the flour from sticking to the cloth.