If you’re feeling overstimulated, overscheduled and overwhelmed this holiday season, you aren’t alone. Here are just a few ways that you can MAKE yourself slow down and feel more at ease to enjoy your festivities and your loved ones this year. These changes don’t have to be a permanent part of your holiday traditions. But if time and money are limited this year, there is nothing wrong with having discussions with your loved ones to see which areas you wouldn’t mind simplifying this year. The holidays should feel enjoyable.

 

  1. Politely saying “no”. Saying no to a few unnecessary obligations, traditions or errands that no longer serve your family or bring you joy are a great way to free up a few valued hours in your busy schedule. This will give you extra hours to do the things that light you up like a Christmas tree.
  2. Set up a puzzle table. Clear off a surface or pull-out a card table with a holiday puzzle. When you have a few free moments or can’t find anything to watch on your favorite streaming service, try to place a few pieces. This is a great way to disconnect from our phones during the holiday season and spend time with loved ones.
  3. Forgo gift exchanges. Save the money and stress from buying and accumulating “more stuff” that you don’t need. Opt-out of gift exchanges with long-time friends, neighbors and co-workers. Meet a friend for a seasonal hike, drive around looking and holiday lights or meet for a warm cup of coffee instead of a big meal and enjoy each other’s company instead. Chances are they are feeling the same way!
  4. Use gift bags instead of wrapping paper. Reuse bags year to year, saving time and money on supplies.
  5. Hire out one month of cleaning services, versus burying a whole afternoon cleaning your home yourself. (Think of this one as a gift to yourself!)
  6. Purchase pre-made cutout cookies and gingerbread houses to decorate versus rolling out sugar cookies and baking them yourself.
  7. Support a local restaurant or grocery store and order food trays or pre-packaged meals for entertaining versus making everything from scratch. Also, try making good use of your crockpot.
  8. Use that pre-lit artificial tree versus cutting one down with the family to save both time and money.
  9. Skip the matching holiday pajamas and extra fluff that social media puts in front of us. Your family will be just as content opening gifts in their everyday sweats with bedhead.
  10. Use mailing labels versus writing out holiday card addresses – or skip the holiday cards all together. Make a free social media posting instead.
  11. Create a holiday book box for the whole family. Enjoy reading a holiday book together out loud by the fireplace or commit to reading one of those books in your to-be-read stack by the end of the month.
  12. Still overwhelmed? Re-evaluate your to do list. Are there a few tasks that can be done in five minutes or less? Complete each of those as soon as possible and get them out of your internal clutter. Look at your to do list and see what can be put off until the New Year. Maybe some of the items aren’t even essential and don’t currently align with your goals right now. Omit them, and forget about them.

There. Now go and enjoy all of the good things that the holiday season has to offer.