Sing it with us: "It's the most...stressful...time, of the year..." Gift-buying insanity, your extended family descending on your home, keeping the roast from burning, kids who clamor for the latest, most expensive toy.

The holidays can wear down even the most resilient among us, so it's good to take a few shortcuts from time to time.

"Realize your limitations first and cut back on the commitments in your calendar of events," advises Dr. Maoshing Ni, founder and Chancellor of the Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Los Angeles. "The more you lighten your load, the more you will enjoy your friends and family when you are at a gathering."

If you're overwhelmed with the work it requires to pull your home together for the holidays, try a few of these quick-and-dirty tips for simplifying your decorating. It'll give you more time to do what's important: connect with the people you love.

Candles add insta-elegance. "The fastest table décor items you can use when entertaining at home are candles," says party expert Colin Cowie. "Candlelight makes everyone look more glamorous and adds elegance to the table." Place dramatic pillar candles on the bread plates you never use; for extra oomph, wind a holiday garland (nonflammable, please) around the base of the candle.

Throw together a centerpiece. A lavish effect for a centerpiece can be created by piling simple cake stands one on top of the other, then adorning the surfaces with hors d'ouvres or festive decorations. Don't have a cake stand? Upend a wide-bottomed bowl and balance a plate or bowl on top; then fill the top with vibrantly-colored fruit, glass decorations, and evergreen boughs.

Forget the fancy stemware. You don't have to have fancy wine glasses. Serving wine in tumblers is a relaxed way to enjoy a holiday drink. Skip the mall and find a one-of-a-kind vintage set at a thrift store, or mix and match different styles for a whimsical table.

Raid your yard and your giftwrap drawer. Use branches from evergreen trees in your own yard (or ask your neighbors) to decorate doors, banisters and around lights. Tie them on with festive wrapping ribbon you've had stashed for wrapping gifts; wind the ribbon around the branches for a brilliantly festive effect.

Cut the housecleaning. House a mess? "Cleaning the house can get out of proportion," notes Dr. Calvin Frederick, formerly of the National Institute of Mental Health. "If these chores are enjoyable, go ahead, but not to the point that it is overtiring." You can further eliminate clutter by donating items you don't need to charity. In today's economy, even the smallest donation of unused pantry goods, neglected toys, or books can go a long way.

Take it easy for a tablecloth. For a kid- and spill-friendly tablecloth, forget the spendy linens and go for a freshly laundered plaid wool blanket. It imparts a festive, down-home feeling and you can throw it over your guests' bed later that night.

Use your existing shelves as a cocktail station. Transform a bookshelf into a self-serve cocktail bar: sweep a few armloads of books aside (or relocate them to under the bed) and load one or two shelves with glasses, cocktail napkins, a few bar basics like vodka, whiskey, club soda, cola and juice, and plenty of sparkling apple cider for the teetotalers and tots.

Quit slaving away in the kitchen. "Don’t design a menu that keeps you locked in the kitchen and away from your guests," says Cowie. The best way to get time to mix and mingle is to cut down on your prep time. Grab cookies, cracker plates, and crudites from the supermarket; to instantly give them that home-made look, transfer them to your own plates before setting them out. Be sure to recycle the plastic platters they come on.

Send leftovers home in style. Free up your post-holiday fridge and send everyone home with the remaining nibbles, using festive Chinese-style take-out containers adorned with pretty bows that give guests a sense of taking home an extra gift.

Simplify by going green. Cut cleanup short with recycled, and recyclable, paper plates and bowls. Even serving ware can be recycled and biodegradable. Utensils made from potato and corn starch are getting more popular and eliminate cleanup entirely.