Path of least resistance: After years of learning the hard way that the days on either side of Christmas are like something out of “Halloween”, I now fly home on December 25. Airports and planes are much less crowded.

Don’t get stuck: It’s worth paying more to fly nonstop. The combination of crowds and bad weather is a tinderbox: One big storm and the system explodes. In winter, I wouldn’t fly through Chicago, Denver, or Minneapolis if the airlines paid me.

Supply and demand: Staying in a hotel over Christmas? Look for properties that tend to draw a business clientele. Occupancy rates drop on and around the holidays, making for deals.

In with the in crowd: Join all loyalty clubs, even if you don’t care about the points/miles. You’ll get treated better, particularly if the hotel or car rental agency is overbooked.

A spot of one’s own: Airport parking lots are more likely to be full around Christmas and New Year’s. Look into private parking lots located off airport premises. They’ll often guarantee a spot, they have free shuttles to and from the terminal, and they’re cheaper.

Losing the wait: This is when airports get more people than they were built to handle. You can—and should—check in online up to 24 hours in advance. Just go to the carrier’s Web site; you’ll be walked through checking in and printing your boarding pass. If you’re not checking bags, you’ll be able to go straight to the gate. But it’s a good idea even if you are checking bags, because many airlines have bag drops where, if you’ve checked in, you can hand over bags without waiting in the main line.

Ease your burden: I ship gifts ahead so that I don’t have to check bags. Airlines and airports aren’t handling bags as quickly or as reliably as they used to, and I don’t like to wait after finally getting off the plane.

Time on your side: Go to the airport earlier than normal. Airport security is a nightmare around the holidays because of the sheer number of people and the fact that many of them are infrequent, inexperienced fliers. Source [msnbc]