What’s Thankmas, you ask? It’s a little breather from the holiday chaos to be enjoyed somewhere between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. Try it and let us know if it brings a few satisfying moments to your holiday schedule.

As the mother of five small kids, I know how crazy holidays can get. Cooking, cleaning, shopping, dressing up, traveling, rushing, and going into debt are just a few of the joys to look forward to from Thanksgiving until New Year’s Day. Why not take a day in between all that chaos to have what I call, a Thanksmas* celebration?

Invite who you want! Eat what you want! Wear what you want! Here are some details, as well as some dos and don’ts, for having a great Thanksmas celebration!

~Thanksmas is a great excuse to keep in touch with the friends you can’t even seem to spend time on the phone with anymore. I mean, Facebook is a great social outlet, but it’s not the same as a face-to-face conversation and a good physical hug. Also, we overextend ourselves during the main holidays. Don’t we need a day when we can focus on fun, relationships, and relaxation?

~Thanksmas is a holiday when religion doesn’t matter; it’s about spending time with loved ones — not just family. It can be held anytime between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, usually on a weekend, and never before noon. Hold this celebration at your place, someone else’s house if your space is limited, or in a church basement.

~Thanksmas includes friends, neighbors, maybe a family you want to get to know better, or your own family who might be out of town during the actual holidays. Invite who you want, not who you feel you should. This is a great time to think of someone like that cool ex-aunt who you never get to see anymore.

~Start with the invitations. Have your kids take green and red construction paper and trace their hand on the front to create a turkey shape. Then head to the clearance section of your local party store and pick up leftover Thanksgiving goodies like plates, cups, napkins and decorations. While you’re there, grab some red and green plastic utensils, then find a plastic or fabric Christmas tablecloth (ask someone you know if you don’t have one). Download a bunch of Christmas music or pop in your favorite holiday CD.

Decided to try it? Okay then. Here’s some tips to make it your favorite annual celebration:

• DON’T try to cook the perfect meal because the goal of this “holiday” is to have fun. Go ahead and cook a turkey or a ham, if that’s what floats your boat. But I’m giving you permission to make something different, such as pizza, stir-fry, tamales, or bratwurst. It’s your party, and the sky’s the limit! Being a little goofy gains you extra Thanksmas points.

• DON’T dress up. I’m not saying to ask your guests to come in jammies (okay, maybe I am). But for the love of all that is Thanksmas, please do not allow your guests to dress up! Give a prize to the guest with the worst hairstyle.

• DON’T diet.  I decree that calories don’t count today. Just have fun and don’t beat yourself up over it. I’m not talking gluttony here, but take a day off from the weight obsessions that add to holiday stress.

• DON’T stress out. Your house does not need to be immaculate, and your cooking doesn’t need to be gourmet. Make your celebration a potluck. Put out crayons, coloring books, and games for your munchkins. Pop a movie into the DVD player for the kids, such as “A Christmas Story” or “Polar Express” so you can have some adult conversations in another room. I promise I won’t tell anybody!

• DO make it low-key and fun. On the invitation you might ask invitees to wear their worst holiday sweater. Consider having a White Elephant gift exchange (hey, one guest’s trash is another guest’s treasure).

• DO give back. Feeling guilty about having fun while the rest of the world is stressed out? Identify a charity and have your guests bring something to donate, such as canned goods for a food bank, or diapers for a local crisis pregnancy center.

*For those who don’t celebrate Christmas, you can name this special in-between holiday “Thanksukah,” “Kwanzthanks,” or just “mid-holiday.”