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This time of year is very stressful. Between sending out Holiday cards and getting gifts for everyone, it can be quite a ride. But it doesn't have to be that way. As I was making the task lists for the holidays, I realized I wanted to be able to stop, enjoy the season, and smell the poinsettia! So, I went on a mission to find out how to make the holidays less stressful. Here are six solutions I discovered that benefited me this time of year.
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Spend time with family and friends
Spend time with your family and friends, even if you are shopping for other family members. Make a day of it. Go out to lunch. It is so much fun being able to shop for gifts with others in your life.
Organize the car
Organize your car. Get rid of all trash. Check your emergency car kit items to make sure there is everything you need for when there is an emergency. If you are going on a long car ride, organize the driver’s seat area with items that you need and use. Install a backseat car organizer for your passengers, A.K.A., and your kids. And get a wastebasket to hang on the backseat. This will reduce the amount of clutter that will accumulate over the busy holiday season.
Prepare your family trip destination
Prepare your family trip destination paperwork. Find a spot for your tickets, travel plans, directions, passports, etc… so they are all in one place and easily accessible. A clear plastic folder with a closed lid works nicely. Label the front of the folder with the destination. Visit our 7 EASY TIPS FOR PACKING FOR LONG TRIPS post.
Create lots of lists
Create Lists, Lists, Lists… Make a list of needed items for each member of the family when traveling overnight. Be sure to be detailed, such as five pairs of pants, two jackets, one book, etc… This list can be reused over and over for future vacations. Visit our Ultimate Cruise Packing list if you are going on a cruise.
Group your gifts by events
Some examples could be Bob’s party, Joanie’s class party, the in-law's Christmas Eve party, and the Christmas Day family gathering. Check out how I organize my DIY wrapping paper station, or make your own using our What to Keep in a wrapping paper station post.
Add events to the calendar!
Mark your calendar with different tasks that need to be done. For example, 12/15/20__—decorate the tree, 12/19/20__—buy food for Christmas Eve, 12/26/20__-buy food for New Year's Eve, 12/14/20__-decorate the front yard. Be specific and schedule time (two or three hours time slots) for everything that helps bring to the forefront what is pressing and what can wait. Share these events with family members and friends. If you want to send an invite to them, you can always try doing it online. We like to use Facebook Events in private mode for our family gatherings. It works well, and the host can make comments and get input from others.
I hope these tips help you and your family have less stress and more joy this holiday season! Please share your tips below to make your holidays less stressful. I would love to hear from you.
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Janet Schiesl
I love all your suggestions but I think the most important is putting events on your calendar. I get so busy this time of year that if I don't write things down in their correct place (my calendar) then I forget. There is too much in my head.
Nancy Haworth
These are great tips to make the holiday season less stressful. I love your point about organizing the car, many people forget about that space, but they may be using it a lot to travel during the holiday season.
Linda Samuels
Holiday time CAN be stressful. And anything we can do to de-stress less and ENJOY more is worthwhile. I love all of the suggestions you shared, especially the value of creating lists. Honestly, I don't know how I'd function without my lists. One of the things I like most about list-making is that it gets the "to-dos" out of my head and onto a page where I can organize my thoughts.
Another thing that can be helpful during the holiday season is remembering JOMO, which is the Joy of Missing Out. Sometimes we think we need to say "yes" to all events and invitations. But in doing so, we can get so stressed that we don't enjoy anything. So paying attention and carefully choosing your seasonal "yeses" can make all the difference to upping your joy factor during the holidays.
Liana George
Such helpful tips Sabrina! I love the last one about marking your calendar with your tasks and attaching a deadline to them. It can make the tasks seem less overwhelming when we break them down into more manageable pieces! Thanks for sharing!
Sara Skillen
I love the clean out the car suggestion - mine could definitely stand to have a little attention (especially my trunk!). Great post!
Janet Barclay
I've found the last two tips very helpful. If you have a function to go to in the middle of the month, you don't want to have to go digging through all the family presents to find your Secret Santa gift. And assigning time requirements to each task makes it all so much less overwhelming!
Seana Turner
Helpful to group your "supplies" by event. Whether it is food or a donation or a gift.. setting up a location for each upcoming activity can really save time as you are rushing out the door:) We start a new manila folder for each trip or major activity. This gives us an instant place to put anything that shows up related to the event in a safe place right away.
Sabrina Quairoli
That's a great idea. I love the plastic pocket folder with the cover that ties so I don't lose any papers on the go. =) Thanks for stopping by.