For many of us, the holiday season is accompanied by a whole load of stress. This is magnified tenfold if you are the one who is hosting Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, or throwing any sort of indulgent holiday party. The good news is that there are many tried and true methods to help you minimize holiday stress. Here's a few ideas:
Tips On Reducing That Christmas Stress
Start Planning Early
Leaving everything until the last minute is a surefire way to work yourself up into a ball of stress and anxiety. Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to plan your holiday tasks. This includes decorating, shopping, gift wrapping, cooking and baking. If you're planning to travel by plane, train or bus, you'll need to book your tickets at least 4-6 weeks in advance (the same holds true for car rentals and hotel reservations).
If you're planning a menu, be sure to get input from guests. You'll want to take into consideration any dietary restrictions or food preferences, which can include gluten-free, vegan or vegetarian, halal and kosher foods. Additionally, don't hesitate to ask guests to bring a favorite side dish or dessert--this will definitely help when it comes to menu planning and prep!
The same holds true for beverages. You'll want to be sure you have enough wine, beer and liquor for your guests, as well as soda, juice and even water bottles. To keep things simple, you can let guests know that you'll be providing wine, beer and soda, but if they prefer other liquor(s), they're more than welcome to BYOB.
If you're hosting a get together, make sure you have plenty of seating for guests. Whether you're planning a sit down meal at a dining table or a buffet where folks can serve themselves, you'll want to be sure there's enough room for plates, platters and serveware.
If children will be attending, it's wise to think about what they can do to have fun and keep busy. You may want to set up a designated spot for them to ice and decorate sugar cookies, work on an arts and crafts holiday project and/or build a gingerbread house together.
Leaving everything until the last minute is a surefire way to work yourself up into a ball of stress and anxiety. Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to plan your holiday tasks. This includes decorating, shopping, gift wrapping, cooking and baking. If you're planning to travel by plane, train or bus, you'll need to book your tickets at least 4-6 weeks in advance (the same holds true for car rentals and hotel reservations).
If you're planning a menu, be sure to get input from guests. You'll want to take into consideration any dietary restrictions or food preferences, which can include gluten-free, vegan or vegetarian, halal and kosher foods. Additionally, don't hesitate to ask guests to bring a favorite side dish or dessert--this will definitely help when it comes to menu planning and prep!
The same holds true for beverages. You'll want to be sure you have enough wine, beer and liquor for your guests, as well as soda, juice and even water bottles. To keep things simple, you can let guests know that you'll be providing wine, beer and soda, but if they prefer other liquor(s), they're more than welcome to BYOB.
If you're hosting a get together, make sure you have plenty of seating for guests. Whether you're planning a sit down meal at a dining table or a buffet where folks can serve themselves, you'll want to be sure there's enough room for plates, platters and serveware.
If children will be attending, it's wise to think about what they can do to have fun and keep busy. You may want to set up a designated spot for them to ice and decorate sugar cookies, work on an arts and crafts holiday project and/or build a gingerbread house together.
  12 Pre-Baked Cookie Decorating Kit, amazon.com |
  24 Face Make Sticker Kits For Kids, amazon.com |
Set A Budget
Money does not grow on trees--especially not on Christmas trees! So, if you want to avoid financial stress during the holidays it's best to set a budget. A budget doesn't just mean saving money on holiday gifts and decor--it also means saving money for household expenses, like utility bills. Electricity rates continue to rise thanks to natural gas price increases, and even the cost of heating oil is expected to rise by 27% in 2023. Setting a budget as soon as possible will help keep your expenses on track not just through the holiday season, but throughout the winter as well.
  Undated Monthly Planner With Bill Pockets, amazon.com |
  12 Month Financial Planner With Expense Tracker, amazon.com |
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Make A List...And Check It Twice!
Whenever you begin your Christmas prep, you should start by creating an exhaustive list of things you need to do. What to consider?
If you don't know where to start, check out Etsy. There are some affordable Christmas and Holiday Planners that you can purchase for download.
Whenever you begin your Christmas prep, you should start by creating an exhaustive list of things you need to do. What to consider?
- Meal Planning
- Gift Lists
- Holiday Card List
- Christmas Decoration Inventory
- Budgets For Food, Travel & Gifts
- Recipes
If you don't know where to start, check out Etsy. There are some affordable Christmas and Holiday Planners that you can purchase for download.
Downloadable Christmas Organizer From TheMomSquad, etsy.com
Do you have any tips or tricks for making it through the holidays stress-free? What works for you? Let us know in the comments below.
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