Isn’t it the goal every year to have a stress free holiday? Seriously, every year I tell myself, “This is the year. I am going to keep things simple.” Then, before I know it, I’m so overbooked that I’ve run out of space in my calendar, my kids are on their daily treasure hunt looking for all the hidden presents, and the smoke detector is beeping because I forgot about those dang cookies in the oven! I’ve run myself into the ground trying to make the season special for everyone else.
But, I also want the holidays to be filled with peace, wonder, and awe. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and I want to slow down and enjoy the magic too. So, how do we accomplish both? How do we meet our commitments well without getting completely overwhelmed and stressed out? I got you, girl!
#1. Write It All Down
My tip is write every single thing down. Make a list of all the things you hope to do during this season. Then, transfer everything to your calendar. There are so many things that we want to accomplish during the holidays. There are outside obligations and commitments, as well as family activities and traditions. Make sure there is space in your schedule to get every thing accomplished.
Schedule everything – the big and small things. For example, every year we make homemade gingerbread houses and cookies, and we have a little decorating party with the kids. The kitchen becomes filled with the smell of cinnamon and ginger, while our table transforms into a construction zone with candy canes, gumdrops, and frosting as building materials.
Our gingerbread house making party is my kids’ favorite tradition. I need to make sure I have it scheduled. Otherwise before I know it, it’s the week of Christmas, and I will be frantically running through the grocery store, likely sweating, trying to find all the things. And I will probably come up short. That does not sound like a good time to me.