7 Holiday Helpers in Vancouver to Make Life Easier

If Santa wanted to do us a solid, he would send us each our own personal elf for the holidays. The daunting number of tasks to accomplish leaves us like the Grinch's dog pulling the overloaded sleigh. Don't despair, here are a few ways to make things easier on yourself this season.

Twelve days of Christmas can feel like twelve thousand come Christmas day, so consider ordering a cooked turkey for your feast. Or the entire feast for that matter. The Fairmont Vancouver offers Christmas dinner for 8-10 guests that includes a whole roasted Fraser Valley turkey, sage and sausage stuffing, roasted root vegetables, brussels sprouts, Yukon gold mashed potatoes, gravy, and pumpkin pie, plus a thermometer and reheating instructions. All you have to do is pick it up.

It's easier to light up your life when someone else does it for you. Call Illuminations to install your exterior Christmas lights this year. Good to know: they provide free estimates, so why not?

For the best pie you've never baked, head to Savary Island Pie Company in West Vancouver, their secret ingredient might just be magic. In Vancouver, try Butter for seasonal delights, and while you're there pick up some homemade marshmallows just for fun.

We get more done and faster when we don't have zippers to fasten and shoes to tie, so consider hiring a babysitter to accomplish your Christmas shopping. No babysitter? No problem. Try Nannies on Call for credible and experienced babysitters.

Vancouverites have been flocking to Windsor Meats for decades to buy their birds. Three locations around the city (North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Main Street) mean easy access for pick-up. Even better: these birds are free-range and grain fed from Skye Farms in the nearby Fraser Valley.

Avoid your home away from home, the grocery store, by using delivery services available. Try Fresh Street Market's service. If you order by 10 am, delivery is same day, and the fee is a mere $8.

The busiest time of the year is also the merriest, so get help cleaning your home for those unannounced visitors. Try Aspen Clean, they use environmentally-friendly products to make your home sparkle.