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" \n Bow Out of Lame Invites  Just because your inbox is flooded with invites doesn&amp;#039;t mean your social calendar must be solely dedicated to celebrating seasonal cheer. Accept only the invites to parties you&amp;#039;d really like to attend. Lynette Padwa, author of Say the Magic Words, suggests limiting your &amp;quot;regrets&amp;quot; to a simple phrase: &amp;quot;I have a conflict.&amp;quot; Try not to offer more detail, because the more you talk, the more it sounds like a lie.  Ban Bad Gifts Launch a preemptive strike against ugly sweaters, food processors, and other unwanted presents by dropping very specific hints. &amp;quot;Make it easy for others to shop for you,&amp;quot; says Padwa. She suggests saying, &amp;quot;You know what would make me really happy this year?&amp;quot; and then fill-in-the-blank with whatever you&amp;#039;ve had your eye on.  Score a Holiday Bonus The days of getting a big check from your company at the end of December are over, at least for now. Still, if you&amp;#039;ve been working overtime to help keep your company afloat during these lean times, your boss probably wants to reward you. The trick to getting a bonus this year is to think beyond cash. Ask for an extra day off, the ability to work at home one day a week, or for the green light on a pet project you&amp;#039;ve been working on. &amp;quot;Approach your boss with a request that will make him feel generous,&amp;quot; Padwa says.  Be a Savvy Scrooge  In this economy, it&amp;#039;s pretty simple to get a pass on exchanging pricey presents. Padwa says a simple one-liner \u2014 &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m scaling back on the gifts this year&amp;quot; \u2014 is not only acceptable but will actually ease everyone else&amp;#039;s stress.  Bring Him Home for the Holidays Convincing your guy to spend the holidays around the mistletoe at your parents&amp;#039; house can be tricky, especially if he&amp;#039;s never met them before. Though saying, &amp;quot;My parents will love you,&amp;quot; seems reassuring, it also implies he&amp;#039;ll be judged, Padwa says. Instead, mention every reason your guy will have a good time. And just to be on the safe side, make sure his first trip to your home is incredibly short.  Ditch the Holidays Altogether If you want to skip a traditional family gathering and spend the holiday with your guy or just hang out with your friends, you may need a solid excuse when breaking the news to your parents. Padwa recommends blaming external forces such as little vacation time or the high cost of travel. Then, emphasize that you love your parents and plan to visit another time, when you have more time and money at your disposal.  Land a New Year&amp;#039;s Eve Kiss...Without Having a Date  No matter how you ring in the new year, you don&amp;#039;t want to miss out on some of the sexiest moments of the year. It&amp;#039;s probably the only time you can get away with smooching a guy friend or a total stranger with no questions asked. To pull it off, just grab a guy at midnight and let your lips speak for themselves. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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