The holiday season can be wildly fun and it generally loved. The rituals from Thanksgiving to New Yearsl mark some of the important moments in our lives.  But all the joy and merriment can come with issues…bills, sluggishness, drama, anxiety, and more.  The good news is marijuana can help with the celebrating and the stress…here are crucial cannabis hacks for surviving the holiday season.

Have A Dedicated Supply

You never want to be the person sending frenzied text messages on the eve of a big holiday trying to track down a friend of a friend of a friend who may be able to hook you up. Instead, have a plan. If you don’t have a regular supply in your town, be sure to pack some goodies to go for the trip. Preparation is key.

Double Down On Storage Options

An important point to remember while staying at home is that you will be in close proximity to family members, friends, and pets who don’t necessarily normally smell the sweet, skunky aroma of quality cannabis on an everyday basis. As such, that celebratory joint you’re saving in your bag might set off a few olfactory alarms.

RELATED: How To Use Marijuana On The DL When You’re Home For The Holidays 

In order to combat that, simply make sure you invest in the best possible storage option at your disposal to clamp down on the smell — a simple ziplock bag won’t always do the trick. Spring for something airtight, because if you don’t, you’ll be needing to throw open those windows and pray for a strong cross-breeze. When in doubt go for the old pill bottles, top off with a cotton ball, and store near some dryer sheets for some added smell protection.

Be Discreet, But Not Too Discreet

There’s an art to stepping away from a family function to enjoy a quick hit or two, but one of the greatest joys of these gatherings may be stumbling upon other members of the family who also partake.

Sure you knew cousin Phil would be happy to join you, but 78-year-old Betsy? Oh yeah, she’s been doing it since before you were born! So allow a beat or two to connect with family members you may have more in common with than you know.

Time Your High Accordingly

There are a number of factors that should go into your decision of when to actually spark up that green or throw back the edible. Timing is key for making sure the desired outcome is achieved. First you must know both yourself and your strain. Is it an indica or sativa? Do you typically get sleepy or talkative when you smoke?

RELATED: How To Use CBD To Reduce Holiday Stress

One stellar scenario could entail toking up as an appetizer to the festive holiday meal, but there’s also the equally satisfying option of capping off the night with a dessert hit. Either way, be intentional and you will surely come out satisfied.

Pull Out The Throwback Toys

“Bored,” you say? Impossible! If you’re home for the holidays there is surely a treasure trove of jigsaw puzzles, activity books, arts and crafts materials, and Legos lying around the house from your youth. Draw some inspiration from that Hindu Kush you packed before sitting down with some actual drawing utensils and watching the time fly by.

Be Smart About Where You Smoke

While you might be completely fine smoking in your front yard where you currently live in Colorado, traveling to your hometown can be a totally different story. Be smart about how open you are with your cannabis use in a town where there may be increased police presence for the holidays. Consider areas that are not open to public view if possible.

Don’t Leave Anything Behind

You may be tempted to leave some reserves behind for the next time you’re in town, but depending on who else is living in that house, it might not be your best idea. Do you really want a call from mom or day wondering what “THC” stands for three weeks later? That’s what we thought.

After a night of drinking, Taco Bell, pizza or whatever is leftover in the fridge looks amazing and finds it way into your belly. Late night eating post partying ,whether it is  from fast fridge or from your own kitchen, seems so good.  But why do you get the Drunkies after drinking?Marijuana has the myth for inciting munchies, but alcohol is just as common, if not more so.

The Fresh Toast – Post partying, Taco Bell sounds so good – here is why ou the drunchies after drinking

Like the munchies you get after smoking weed, the drunchies are characterized by a craving for calorie dense foods, like pizza, tacos, nachos…things which sit on your bell.

Because obesity is a concern here in America, researchers from the University of Buffalo decided to study the effects of the drunchies on college weight gain, examining what they eat at night and the next morning when they’re hungover.

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“Given the obesity epidemic and the rates of alcohol consumption on college campuses, we need to be aware of not only the negative effect of alcohol consumption, but also the impact it has on what people are eating while they are drinking,” said Jessica Kruger, clinical assistant professor of community health and health behavior in the University at Buffalo’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.

Related: Can You Prevent A Hangover By Eating A Big Meal?

Kruger is the lead author on a new study published in the Californian Journal of Health Promotion that examined 286  coeds to find out the relationship between their drinking and consecutive eating habits.

“All alcohol drinkers were more likely to eat something before they went to bed after drinking alcohol than in general before they go to bed,” Kruger and her colleagues wrote.

Predictably, they were drawn to junk food over healthier options. Also, in addition to healthy food choices, they skipped drinking water or other non-alcohol beverages before bed, which lead to even greater dehydration.

As for the next morning, according to the University of Buffalo, the students were less likely to skip meals after a night of drinking compared to a typical morning.

Related: How To Control The Marijuana Munchies

So what exactly creates the drunchies in the first place? “It is believed that after drinking alcohol, the amount of blood glucose in the body can rise and fall which stimulates the brain to feel hungry,” Kruger explains.

You’ve heard it before, kids. For every alcoholic beverage you drink, consume twice as much water. And try to eat a large healthy meal before you imbibe to help soak up the alcohol (yes, it actually works). Otherwise, you’re going to find yourself in starvation mode with a killer hangover the next morning. Eating and hydrating may not ward off a hangover (and the munchies) completely, but it will certainly help.

Walmart, Malls, Best Buy and more are thought of for Black Friday – but marijuana is having an impact also.

Black Friday used to be one of the biggest shopping days of the year…now it has a rival with Cyber Monday. There was a time when the news was filled with brawls breaking out at Walmart as people scrambled to get the best big ticket deals.  Luckily, weed chills you and Walmart has marijuana competition on Black Friday.

To be fair, Black Friday is the second biggest marijuana shopping day of the year….behind 4/20.  BDSA, a leading cannabis data analyst company shared this information about consumer trends.

Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It traditionally marks the start of the Christmas shopping season in the United States. Many stores offer highly promoted sales at discounted prices and often open early. It has been a culturally phenomenon in some countries.

Despite all the buzz, Black Friday beats out Cyber Monday and is still the biggest shopping day of the year. It can set the tone of retail for the holiday season and annually retail profitability. But as more than 50% of people have access to legalized cannabis, Black Friday has become a weed hit also. Like alcohol, the 4 day holiday weekend has turned into tuning in to fun or turning out and chilling.

“Black Friday consistently experience the highest surge in cannabis sales of any holiday, other than 420,” said Brendan Mitchel-Chesebro, analyst at BDSA. “These insights are important for retailers looking to optimize their holiday strategies. By preparing for increased foot traffic with increased staff and an ample supply of popular products instead of leaning into promotions, retailers will win with consumers this holiday season.”

Some dispensaries, will have specials, especially those who register for newsletter and updates.  Check their social media or website to see if they are offering any holiday weekend.

And if you are looking at doing some early gift shoppings, gummies are the most popular used form of cannabis, making it an easy gift to the canna-fans in your life.

RELATED: People Who Use Weed Also Do More Of Another Fun Thing

The other good news is cannabis relaxes us so you don’t have to worry about hand to hand combat to purchase.  But here are some of the craziest Black Friday stories.

An elderly woman stole an ice cream maker out of a man in a wheelchair’s electric cart.”

At Walmart, a fight broke out over a bike. Fists were thrown and there was  blood. Eventually, one guy got ahold of the bike and managed to get away from the crowd. He rode the bike out of the store (without paying).”

At Walmart, a customer punched a security guard in the face because they thought he was a customer skipping to the front of the line. He was just walking in the door to start his shift.