The holiday season is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. But for some, it can also be one of the most stressful months.
In between the holiday preparations, gift-shopping, traveling, entertaining, cooking and back to back parties, it’s not impossible for this festive season to become too overwhelming.
But the holidays shouldn’t be a difficult time if you stop stress in its tracks. To make this year’s holiday season more enjoyable, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Just settle for less.
Settling is such a depressing word in my opinion. But we’re not talking about relationships, jobs or happiness here. You don’t have to go all out with the decors, food preparations and gift wrapping that will stress you out. Give your inner Martha Stewart a rest this year. Be satisfied with “good enough,” or even less.
Forget about expensive holiday traditions.
Families thrive on traditions, that’s what holidays are about. But when you got rituals that cost a lot of money and your budget is pretty tight right now, it’s okay to skip those traditions this year in favor of something simple yet meaningful tradition, that will not stress you out mentally, emotionally and financially.
Ask for help.
Most of you may hesitate to ask help from your children or grandchildren when it comes to the holiday preparations but I’m sure they would love to do it. You don’t have to do everything yourself, whether it’s cooking, decorating, entertaining, cleaning, etc.
Hire people to help you out.
But if you insist, just hire people or services to do the tasks. Let’s say, a cleaning service to prep your home or catering for your holiday parties. Find ways to make the preparations much easier to handle if you have the means.
It’s okay to say no.
You don’t have to accept every holiday event invitation you get. Know when to say no. Period.
Reuse décor from last year.
Who says you can’t decorate your space the same way every year? Minimize the stress and hassle by using what you already have. Tweak it out a bit if you want to, but honestly, you don’t have to.
Be a smart & savvy holiday shopper.
Holiday shopping can stress you out physical, mentally and financially. To prevent that from taking a toll on your jolly holiday, make sure to have a holiday budget and stick to it. Also, map out a route and plan an efficient itinerary before hitting the stores. This will save you time, effort and gas money. And of course, don’t do last-minute shopping.
Always get a receipt.
Don’t forget to get a gift receipt for every returnable purchase and keep all regular receipts as well for budgeting and accounting purposes. This will make potential returns and exchanges a lot less stressful.
Have fun!
Lastly, don’t get too caught up with the preparations. Just give yourself the permission to enjoy the festivities.
