10 Ways to De-Stress the Holidays!
10 ways to de-stress the holidays! They say it’s the most wonderful time of the year! The holiday season brings families together and lights up our children’s faces. Meanwhile in the background all of us moms are stressing out while making everything magical for those around us. It’s time to de-stress the holidays! I don’t know what it says about me that I am always searching for ways to be less stressed and more organized. Probably that I am a high strung disorganized mess! I’ve been giving a lot of thought to how to make this holiday season run more smoothly and be enjoyable for everyone, including me. So I’ve come up with 10 ways to de-stress the holidays.
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Without any more hoopla here are my ideas for de-stressing this holiday season!
#1 Plan ahead
Don’t fly by the seat of your pants this holiday season. Write down all the tasks that need to be done. Get a planner and organize your gift giving, decorating, party throwing, and holiday meals. Getting things written down on paper diminishes my stress by quite a bit. Plus I love to cross things off a list!
You can find this Christmas Planner for just $4.99 in my Etsy shop!
#2 Get everything done by December 1st
This has been a goal of mine since my oldest was a toddler. By getting all my shopping done by December first I have time for fun things. An added bonus for those of us who live in snowy areas is that you don’t have to go out in a snow storm because you procrastinated until the last minute. As my kids have gotten older it has been helpful to have my own stuff done early so I have the time to help them make Christmas gifts.
#3 Meal Plan
We know we are going to be busy during the holidays so taking the time to meal plan can really take a lot of stress off of our shoulders. Come up with a couple of weeks of easy recipes to make putting dinner on the table a quick task. I have some ideas in my post “Easy Meal Planning”. Taking the time to meal plan will also be better for your budget. Knowing what you are fixing for dinner will keep you out of the drive through lanes. This leads me to my next point.
#4 Stick to a budget
Finances rank pretty high on my sources of stress list. Come up with a budget for the holidays and be ruthless about sticking to it. Knowing how much you have to spend ahead of time will mean no surprises in January when the bill comes. You don’t have to apologize for sticking to your budget even if it means your gifts are smaller than usual. Nobody else is going to pay your bills.
#5 Find ways to give to those less fortunate
If you don’t have the finances to buy gifts for other people that’s okay. You can help serve dinner at a soup kitchen. Gather up your old blankets and hats and mittens the kids have outgrown and donate them. There is an organization that hands out Christmas cookies to homeless people in our area. Easy enough to bake up a batch of cookies. Go sing at a nursing home. The opportunities are there if you go looking for them. How does this help us de-stress our holidays? Helping those less fortunate reminds us of how blessed we are. Changing our perspective can go a long way in relieving stress.
Gifts for under $20:
#6 Stick to your normal routines
Don’t let the busyness of the holidays throw you off of your routines. If you don’t have regular routines set some up. Start your day by throwing in a load of laundry. Make sure your kitchen is clean before you go to bed. Don’t forget to excercise! We all know excercise is an excellent stress reliever. Gather up the kids and take a walk in the snow. Go sledding, that hike back up the hill will be great for your heart!
Here are some quick tasks you can do in under 10 minutes if you are pressed for time!
#7 Delegate
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Are there tasks you can delegate to your children or your husband? Get them involved in the decorating, the cleaning, the cooking. Many hands make a task lighter. Especially true when you are lugging the heavy tree down from the attic!
#8 Donate the old to make room for the new
#9 Find clutter free gift ideas
Did I mention that clutter is very stressful to me? I love being able to give gifts that won’t add more clutter to our lives. I give a lot of practical gifts, not everyone’s thing, but I love useful stuff. My husband loves consumables, so snacks make great stocking stuffers for him. The kids do so many 4-H projects that I like to get things they need for their projects at Christmas.
#10 Take time for fun
Fun might be the best stress buster of all. Make sure in the midst of holiday busyness you take the time to have some fun with your family. After all that is really what the holidays are about. Keep things simple, focus on being together.
Hope you are able to de-stress the holidays this year at your house!
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