Remember when you were a kid and the magic of the holidays was a whole mood? Cookies baking, family visiting, cozy lights and cuddles by the fire. Ignorance was bliss. Now, you’re all grown up and cookies baking turns to instant regret, family visiting, instant regret, cozy lights, a pain in the ass, and cuddles by the fire means that gas bill goes up. So how can you have a stress free holiday when you’re all grown up? These holiday tips will keep you stress free so you can enjoy the things that can be trying.
Stress Free Holiday Tips for the Grown Ups Who Make the Holidays Magical
Before you know it, the holidays will be here. While it’s the time of the year that is supposed to bring joy and happiness to families, it can also bring a lot of stress. With a bit of foresight and preparation, you can make sure that the upcoming holidays will be spent as smoothly as possible.
Create a Budget and Save
I can’t stress this enough. Many of the stress-related issues surrounding the holiday season come down to budget. It often comes from a good place, for example, when we want to purchase the best and finest gifts for our friends and family. However, often that creates trouble, so it’s always a good idea to set up a budget for gifts and events. That will ensure that you’re always in your comfort zone for spending and that you won’t always feel pressured to save on things you shouldn’t be saving for in the first place.
You can save all year by using apps like Acorns that round up your daily spending to the nearest dollar and put it in a virtual piggy bank. Then, at the end of the year, you can cash it in for a nice chunk to use for the holidays!
Establish a Schedule
Preparing for large-scale family events, like the holidays, is often a time-consuming and difficult process. That’s mainly because normal families rarely have the time and means to deal with the process of preparing without having established a timeframe. A schedule will make sure that everyone does their part, and that things will get done in a timely manner so that no one is going to spend their free time unnecessarily.
It’s also important to remember that decorating the inside and outside of your home is a huge chunk of your time. You’ll want to plan holiday decorations into your schedule too. If you don’t, you might just find yourself stressed before the holidays even begin!
Another thing you might want to make a schedule for is wrapping gifts. Not only do you have to wrap them when your kids aren’t around, but you have to hide them too! Why not make a day of it? Get a sitter, invite your friends over, pour the wine and get everyone to help wrap the gifts! Then hide them in the car or the attic!
Find Good Deals
If you’re not careful about buying gifts, you may end up having to pay a lot more if you don’t buy a gift ahead of time. When Christmas time rolls up, most of the good gifts will be sold out, and you’ll be left with a very limited choice, at a usually higher price. For example, Cyber Monday deals at TheWorks can end up being a smart move, especially since you’ll have more than enough time to choose the right gift and end up saving a bit along the way.
Focus On the Positive Aspects
Even if you’re feeling down and tired, remember always to have a positive mindset regarding the holidays. It’s wise to keep your focus on the good things that are going to come because as soon as you start being negative you will start feeling swamped and overwhelmed. Having a positive outlook on the whole situation can really help you make it through the entire ordeal of having to prepare for the holiday season.
Take Proper Care of Yourself
One giant mistake about the holidays is pushing yourself above your limits. If you don’t have the time or means to do something, don’t sacrifice your health and wellbeing. That will just lead to further stress, which is exactly what you want to avoid. Rest normally throughout the season, and don’t let the little things get to you. I put together an awesome gift guide that has just about everything you could want to pamper yourself.
The holidays are all about joy and happiness, but they can really feel stressful. Always make sure that you’re taking it as slow as possible, and that you’re making smart moves about what you and your family deserve to have during the entire season of festivities. One thing is certain, you all deserve a stress free holiday.
