Make Room for the Turkey and the Tree with Tips for Enjoying a Stress-Free Holiday from BellSouth(R) ATLANTA, Dec. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Tis the season to get rid of clutter. The holidays are fast approaching, but the season of good cheer also means added stress. To help families curb the strain they feel during the holidays BellSouth(R), along with organizing expert Stephanie Denton, has created a few simple steps to having a stress-free holiday. Putting her more than ten years of professional organizing experience to the test, Stephanie Denton developed the following tips for heading into the New Year relaxed, refreshed, and organized. The tips include: - Designating one place in your home to prepare for the holidays Transform a spare room or an unused corner of another room into "holiday central." It's a good place to store your holiday gifts and gift wrap supplies. This room is also a great place to post your ever- growing calendar of holiday activities, keeping the entire family up- to-date on the latest festivities. - Streamlining your monthly routines so you have time for the fun stuff If you've been meaning to consolidate bills or set up online bill paying, do it now so that task will take less time through the holidays. Many companies offer bundled solutions combining multiple services with one provider. BellSouth's Answers program allows customers to customize local, long distance, wireless and Internet services all on one bill, saving up to $350 a year. - Harnessing the power of your computer More than one-third of consumers will do their holiday shopping on the Web this year*, and if you have high-speed Internet access, your shopping will go even faster. You can not only browse for gift ideas and create wish lists, you can also use the Internet to send out informal invitations and e-cards. After the party is over, you can post pictures online for everyone to enjoy. - Making your list and check it twice Before heading out to the mall, make a list of the people you want to buy for, as well as what you're thinking of getting them. Also, create a list of non-perishable food items you'll need when baking or preparing holiday feasts. By making an early visit to the grocery store you can get some of your shopping done in advance of the long lines. - Staying in touch with friends and family Sending good wishes to people is important to many at the holidays, but the thought of writing personal notes to so many people can be daunting. Make it a point to write a couple of cards per night and ship them off. As greeting cards arrive in the mail, keep the envelopes so that you can use the return address information to update your address book. - Traveling smart Set up a portable garment rack in your bedroom and hang the outfits you plan to take with you. This will let you see how many outfits there truly are and make sure they all mix and match. There are also many accessories available to organize the inside of a suitcase. Using them will make it faster to put everything back together in the event you are randomly selected for a luggage search. More on Stephanie Denton Stephanie Denton has been a professional organizer for more than ten years and is the youngest person ever elected President of the National Association of Professional Organizers. Through her consulting and training firm, Stephanie has worked with countless individuals and small business clients, as well as corporations such as Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Northwestern Mutual Life, Bank One, Microsoft, Duracell, Clear Channel Communications and Broadwing. Stephanie shares her advice regularly through appearances on television and news programs around the country. In addition, she volunteers her time to teach organizing and paper management skills to women in a homeless shelter. About BellSouth Corporation BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 100 communications services company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth serves more than 45 million local, long distance, Internet and wireless customers in the United States and 14 other countries. Consistently recognized for customer satisfaction, BellSouth provides a full array of broadband data solutions to large, medium and small businesses. In the residential market, BellSouth offers DSL high-speed Internet access, advanced voice features and other services. BellSouth also offers long distance service throughout its markets, serving both business and residential customers. The company's BellSouth Answers(SM) package combines local and long distance service with an array of calling features; wireless data, voice and e-mail services; and high-speed DSL or dial-up Internet service. BellSouth also provides online and directory advertising services through BellSouth(R) RealPages.com (SM) and The Real Yellow Pages(R). BellSouth owns 40 percent of Cingular Wireless, the nation's second largest wireless company, which provides innovative data and voice services. * Research conducted by BIGresearch in October 2003 DATASOURCE: BellSouth Corporation CONTACT: Alicia Thompson of BellSouth Media Relations, +1-404-829-8724, or Web site: http://www.bellsouth.com/ http://realpages.com/

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