Hear the Sleigh Bells Ring…
The Holiday Season is around the corner. Society and the media tell us that it has to be a perfect time, a special moment to share with family and friends. We are also excited about making this a magical time for our family members and getting caught up with how amazing everything has to be.
However, the reality of it is that keeping up with those impossible expectations leads to increased stress and overwhelming feelings as you work to find the perfect gifts, try to keep up with all the holiday traditions and social gatherings, and in general spend a lot of money. You can keep your head above water this Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here are 5 simple ways to get organized for the holidays and reduce holiday stress.
A Simple Holiday Planning Checklist
1. Plan your holiday meals beforehand (and don’t be afraid to buy store-bought food).
Of course, a focal point of the holidays is the dinner itself. Your family is most likely excited about the beautiful, delicious holiday feast. You don’t want to let them down but at the same time, you don’t want to spread yourself too thin. Sit down with your partner and/or family to plan out a list of the meals you want to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Although it doesn’t have to be overly detailed, consider the following:
- How many people will join you for the holidays? (Remember to consider extra portions for leftovers and any tag-along family or friends joining you, the more the merrier!)
- What will your main course be, how many side dishes, and what are you having for dessert?
- Which recipes will you be following? Try to keep all the recipes together in one place for easy reference when you are ready to start cooking.
- How much time do you have to set aside to cook said recipes?
- Who in your family will be responsible for cooking or preparing which dish? Get the kids involved too!
Getting the family involved in this planning session is a great way to bond and set expectations for everyone to help out. Don’t take on all the responsibilities upon yourself.
You may feel pressured to cook the whole meal from start to finish but… remember one thing: Holidays are supposed to be enjoyable! If you spend all day locked up in the kitchen, chopping, simmering, baking, and plating, you may end up too tired to spend time with your family…
IT’S OK TO BUY STORE-BOUGHT MEALS AND CATERING (don’t let anyone tell you otherwise). Some grocery stores such as HEB or Wal-Mart offer holiday meal kits that you can just throw in the oven and they are comparable in price to buying the ingredients yourself. Research your local restaurants and/or grocery stores to find a menu and price point that works for you. Having said that, remember that a lot of these places have a fixed amount of meals they prepare so you need to purchase them and book your pick-up possibly weeks in advance.
2. Create a gift list and set a gift budget.
Don’t lie, I’m sure you’ve done this before: It’s December 20th and you are frantically trying to place all your Amazon gift orders and praying to whoever will listen that your gifts will get here on time. Leaving gift purchasing for the last minute is both risky and impractical. Planning ahead will give you peace of mind and it is not as complicated as it seems.
Take a moment to sit down and draft a list of your overall holiday gift budget, who you want to gift to and how much you will spend on each gift.
A great way to organize your gift list is as follows:
- You decide how specific you want to get with this list but it helps to categorize your gift list. You can categorize by immediate family, extended family, close friends, coworkers, etc. By creating these groups you can brainstorm and get an overall sense as to who you will be gifting to and not miss anyone you really wanted to give a present to.
- Start by setting an overall gift budget and allot a specific amount to each person you want to gift. You may need to adjust the budget a few times until it looks just right. Just remember to set a realistic goal that will allow you to stay within the budget.
- Create a list of gift ideas for each person. When you have a guideline of what you want to give each person on your list it makes it easier to search for the gift you want to get them and also stay within budget.
BONUS TIP: Buy the bulk of your gifts on Black Friday to enjoy discounts and have your gifts ready for Christmas!
3. Create a list of holiday decorations and set a budget.
Chances are you already have a great collection of holiday decorations, you just need to pull them out and dust them off a bit before you start setting them around your home. But of course, adding fresh new decorations is a lot of fun. Sometimes, we can go a little overboard so setting a budget and knowing what you actually need to buy is very important.
When making a list of the area in your home that could use a little spruce, follow these simple steps:
- Set an overall budget for the amount you want to spend on decorations.
- Take a picture of an area in your home that could use a little spruce.
- Write down the dimensions of that area and a concept of what you want to add.
- Your concept may change when you get to the store, however, remember to keep your budget in mind!
- Remember to consider holiday storage bins and other holiday storage accessories within your budget.
4. Arrange your holiday schedule.
Whether you have a list of engagements to attend during the holiday season, you want to volunteer at a shelter, or you simply want to have more time for holiday traditions, it always helps to write them all down on your calendar. Create a preliminary list of activities and discuss with your family to see what you all want to focus on this season.
Once your preliminary list is complete, put it on your calendar and spread those activities out across different days.
5. Organize and clean your home.
It’s a great time as any, if not better to deep clean, declutter, and organize. Whether you are expecting family over the holidays or you simply want to enjoy time with your family in a clean and tidy space, these are some things to check off your holiday to-do list:
- Deep clean your home. Dust off behind appliances, clear up old cobwebs in that corner of your house that you never look at, and clean your windows. Who said Spring cleaning had to wait until the spring? It’s best to get it done now.
- Declutter and donate items. With the holiday gift-giving extravaganza, your home could use some space for incoming gifts. It’s best to go through the closets and select items that you don’t need and could use a brand new life at the Goodwill.
- Organize spaces in your home. This is a good time to go through your kitchen cupboards, throw out old ingredients and tidy up the spaces for new ingredients that you may be buying for your holiday dinner.
But most of all, remember to breathe and practice self -care…
No matter how much careful planning, organizing, preparations, and list-making, remember things don’t always go according to plan – and that’s ok. Celebrate the small victories, and give thanks to your family, to yourself, and to your body for everything it does for you. You got this and your family is lucky to have you as captain of your household.
