Tips for a stress-free holiday season
I absolutely love the holiday season. I love the nostalgia, traditions, and renewed hope the season brings. However, I also know how stressful the season can be and I’d be lying if I said it’s all easy-breezy in my house. I have no desire to masquerade as the perfect mom while quietly suffering and stuffing my face with gingerbread cookies.
Instead, I stick to a few tricks that help me stay (mostly) stress-free so I can focus on having fun with my loved ones. What tips do I have for a stress-free and organized holiday season? My top 4 tips are:
Project Plan: Just like a work project, break your holiday to-do list into manageable, smaller tasks rather than one large, looming project. The goal is to get a little bit done along the way so you feel motivated by your progress. For example, writing ‘buy gifts’ on the list is daunting and not specific enough. For who? How many? Where?! AHH! Instead, I start by writing out a list of the gift recipients and general budget, then pencil in 1-2 hours a week dedicated to gift buying. The more gifts I need to get, the further out I start. I also group my gift buying to-dos by type of recipient (family vs. acquaintance), difficulty to purchase (e.g. estimated shipping times), or where I’m buying the gifts (e.g. shopping center, online). In project planning, this is called task batching and it helps to improve productivity. The same principle can be applied to decorating, crafting, or any other holiday-related tasks. Chipping away at the to-do list helps me feel less frenzied and if anything does pop up at the last minute, I should have the time to tackle it. Which leads to tip #2.
Keep gifts on hand: I’d like to think that I remember everyone on my list and have their gift wrapped weeks in advance. But, I will admit that I have overlooked people before as well as received unexpected gifts from very thoughtful friends. So, I like to have a few ‘good for almost anyone’ gifts on hand just in case I need one asap and don’t have time to run to the store. I like having gift cards on hand because as much as people say they’re impersonal, I’ve never met anyone who didn’t want one. As for the kiddos, I go with gender neutral options such as puzzles, coloring books, or craft kits.
Put things back right away: I start decorating for the holidays the day after Thanksgiving but wait to get a tree 2-3 weeks before Christmas. Plus, circling back to tip #1, I’m buying a few gifts every week. That means, there is a constant flow of boxes and storage bins coming into our living areas. To keep the house organized and clutter-free, I put things back right away. The ornaments are all hung on the tree? Put the bin back. Have a stack of Amazon boxes? Recycle them. Finished cursing at the lights you attempted to hang outside? Put the box back. And I don’t mean just toss it back in the basement to deal with it later. I mean actually put the box back right where you got it. Unless you live in a humongous house, going to the basement, attic, or garage shouldn’t take that much extra time. By putting things away quickly, it helps to keep things clutter-free and minimize future stressors.
Don’t aim for perfection: This may be the toughest tip to adopt because we all want our families to have wonderful holiday memories. But, overdoing and overplanning doesn’t always yield greater results - it just yields more things to stress about. When I think back to my favorite holiday memories, they were the no-frills moments that I treasure. I loved going to Pizza Hut on the way to Christmas Eve service because you know what? Spending the day cooking a big dinner wasn’t a priority for my dad. He knew pizza and soda was going to be a huge hit with the kids and significantly less stressful for him. You can certainly aim high if you want to but please don’t beat yourself up if something doesn't go as planned. I promise you, if something goes disastrously wrong, it’ll make for an incredible memory.
As a professional organizer who is certified with the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO), I love helping clients tackle their stress-inducing organization projects all year long. Because it seems as soon as the holiday season is over, everything has to be put away so you can make room for the new stuff. And hey, if you need help with making space, I’m here to help with that, too.
