How to Make the Holiday Season Less Stressful
The holidays are just around the corner, and we want to help you make the holiday season less stressful. While the holidays bring joy and fun times, it can also add extra stress to your already full plate. Have you ever felt pressured to create the “perfect” holiday season as seen so often on social media? Realistically who can fill their homes with gorgeous handcrafted decorations, make homemade gifts for everyone, and throw the perfect holiday party all while making it look easy? I think that perfect version of the holidays exists only online. I also think that you can create your own version of a fulfilling and memorable holiday season.
Here are five easy ways that can help you enjoy the upcoming holiday season more by making it less stressful.
The links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase any item linked here, What A Good Day gets a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Simplify Traditions
Holiday traditions are important for making lasting memories. They can also cause added stress when you feel like you have to do everything. Make it easier this year by simplifying. What are 2-3 holiday traditions that mean the most to you and your family? Focus on those and make the most out of them instead of spreading yourself too thin.
Manage Expectations
Be realistic about what you can accomplish and what you expect from the holidays. It’s okay to scale back if needed. Give yourself permission to make only one kind of Christmas cookie instead of ten different kinds. Cut back on the number of decorations you put up. Don’t feel guilty if you have to say no to some of the events you are invited to this year. Use paper products instead of the good china and silver to save time. All that matters is the connections you make with loved ones.
Delegate Tasks
Delegating is one of the easiest ways to make the holiday season less stressful. There’s no law that says you have to do everything yourself. If you need help to pull off Thanksgiving dinner this year, don’t hesitate to delegate. Letting others contribute to the meal makes them feel more included, and it saves you time. If you usually host a pre-Christmas party, why not ask friends to join in and co-host with you? Don’t feel like you have to cook everything yourself during the holidays. I love buying pies from the Southern Baked Pie Company to make life a little easier. They are based in Georgia but they ship nationwide.
Shop Early
One of the top drivers of holiday stress is last minute shopping for gifts. At the beginning of the year, make a list of everyone you normally buy gifts for during the holidays. As the year progresses, make notes on your list as you hear people mention something they like (or go ahead and purchase it). If you have space in your house, designate a closet as your gift closet to store things you buy ahead of time. This is also a good place to keep your wrapping supplies. Another bonus? This allows you to spread out the spending throughout the year.
Use a Holiday Planner
Planners have become very popular as a way to manage tasks while planning for a holiday. This year we are excited to debut the What a Good Day Thanksgiving Planner. Read on for all the details!
What a Good Day's Thanksgiving Planner Digital Product
Make this your easiest Thanksgiving ever! Stay organized and on track with the tasks needed to pull off a memorable Thanksgiving dinner. See below for everything that is included when you purchase this digital product. Print it out, fill it in, and stress less this Thanksgiving with our new planner!
Stress Less This Holiday Season
I hope these tips will help you enjoy your holidays more. After all, you don’t want to get tangled up like last year’s Christmas tree lights when trying to plan a perfect holiday. Instead of filling your holidays with stress, fill it with joy and connection with family and friends.
Have a good day every day! ~ Kristin
If you are looking for more holiday ideas, be sure and check out our Celebrations tab on our home page.
Note: Content of this post is from Kristin @whatagoodday.com. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. I’m happy for you to share this post but be sure to link to this post. Thank you.
