As a big fan of friendly banter, I am always ready to throw down on a real vs. artificial Christmas tree argument. Team Real Tree love to wax poetic about the tradition of heading to the farm each year and the festive character that only comes from dressing a natural tree. While the artificial tree folks (of which I am one) like to tout the charm of colorful trees and the low cost and easy cleanup of bringing out the same tinsel shrub year after year.

Make yourself at home... sort of!

For 10 days at the end of October, Apartment Therapy wants to help you get ahead on the holidays. Together, we’re checking off doable daily tasks to get one step closer to the effortless holiday season you deserve. Sign up now (it’s free!) so you don’t miss a thing. Culture has a way of evolving a vocabulary to embrace and explain humanity’s common eccentricities.

For 10 days at the end of October, Apartment Therapy wants to help you get ahead on the holidays. Together, we’re checking off doable daily tasks to get one step closer to the effortless holiday season you deserve. Sign up now (it’s free!) so you don’t miss a thing. Just because you need something doesn’t mean it needs to be purchased. There are a lot of reasons to try your hand at DIY: It can be cheaper, less wasteful, and it’s a heck of a lot more fun.

For 10 days at the end of October, Apartment Therapy wants to help you get ahead on the holidays. Together, we’re checking off doable daily tasks to get one step closer to the effortless holiday season you deserve. Sign up now (it’s free!) so you don’t miss a thing. Contrary to what TV commercials might tell you, the holidays are not just about buying gifts and spending money. The reason we’re all enamored with this season is the spirit of it all.

When you look back on the holidays, you want to remember things like the raucous Christmas party or the morning you spent laughing with your family over latkes—not the times when you spent all day hunting for a parking spot or waited an hour in line at the department store checkout. To help you make more room for happy memories—and save you from holiday shopping stress—Apartment Therapy is launching a new program called Holiday Jumpstart.

Most of us take on a lot of different roles in life. You’ve got to be the housekeeper, bookkeeper, nutritionist, chef, personal shopper, stylist, events coordinator, therapist, bodyguard, CEO and assistant of You, Inc.—all the time, around the clock. Oh, and cheerleader too, if you hope to have the stamina and enthusiasm to do it all over again tomorrow.

According to the Boston University sustainability department, an average shower uses about 5 gallons of water per minute. That means if you shorten your shower by just 2 minutes each day, you can cut your water use by 10 gallons at a time. It really adds up–with major impacts to your wallet and the environment. Whatever your goal–lowering your bill or just your water usage overall–it’s quite the challenge to try and shorten your time in the shower.

This might be the homebody in me talking, but I happen to think date night at home is better than date night out in nearly every way. The drinks are cheaper. The clothes are comfier. And, if you have the right game, it can be a really fun night for you and your love to get competitive and cuddly all at once. Based on recommendations from Amazon, Board Game Geek, Reddit’s /r/boardgames and my own experience, here are some of the best two-player games for couples to play on their own.

If you were one of the folks—like me—hoping bullet journals would be a flash-in-the-pan lifestyle trend, I have to report that we’re wrong. Bullet journals are here to stay. Why did I write off bullet journals for so long? (Pun absolutely intended.) Well to me, they seemed like they existed as a sort of vanity project—an Instagram-worthy journal where perfect people can showcase the elements of their perfect life in perfect handwriting.

Spring is a time of renewal, so we feel like there’s no better moment than now to pick up a new habit or try out a new idea. Even better if that idea inspires some good ‘ness — you know… happiness, coziness, wellness or just all around better living at home.