4 Tips to Reduce Your Holiday Stress

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If you are anything like me , your to do list kind of feels like it only knows how to grow, and you never seem to catch up. Throw in all the things that come along with the Holiday Season, and I sometimes wonder how I don’t lose my mind completely! Around this time every year, I really try to do all I can to simplify, organize, and prep for the upcoming holiday season, in hopes of taking out some of the stress so I can focus more on enjoying it. There are a few things I do every year that have really made a difference, so I thought I’d share them with you today!

:: START YOUR CHRISTMAS CARDS IN THE SUMMER

Now before you think I’m completely insane, hear me out. The last couple of years, I have called and scheduled our family pictures at the end of the summer for EARLY SEPTEMBER. The first perk of doing this is we aren’t in the middle of all the crazy schedules the holidays bring. I have time to plan out outfits and fit the shoot in our schedule. The next major perk is you can get your pictures back nice and early. That way you can have your Holiday Cards ordered in OCTOBER!

I have used Minted for our Christmas cards for I think the last 7 or 8 years now, and I’ll probably never change. I am so in love with them every year. You cannot beat the quality they provide. They have so many unique styles to choose from and ship fast too. If that isn’t enough, they’ve added so many user friendly perks to ordering, it’s amazing.

For example, if you are indecisive on what is going to look best, you can TEXT (yes you read that right) your family picture, and a designer will pick out 5 options they think will work best and send them back to you with your image in them! They also offer FREE envelopes and ADDRESSING. With the amount of time it saves me to not have to address every single card, it is a game changer. I highly recommend Minted!!

. . . SHOP MY FAVORITE MINTED CARDS . . .

:: STICK TO YOUR GIFT LISTS + START EARLY

If you’re anything like me, it is easy to want to buy allllll the things for allll the people. Not only does it do damage on your budget, but it takes up so much time you could be spending with your people or tackling other tasks on your holiday to-do’s.

Last year I wrote down each person and what I needed for their gift and really tried to stick to the list, kind of like a grocery list. Haha, promise I love the people more than groceries, but you get the idea. It saved so many unneeded trips to the store to grab one more present or return one more thing. I had most of my shopping done mid-November and could clear that off my list. And the money saved was the frosting on top.

:: PRIORITIZE YOUR FAMILY TRADITIONS

The holidays bring so many fun activities and traditions, and as the years go on, the list seems to grow. As mom’s we want to make it the best, and not have our kids miss out on anything, so we tend to over cram our schedules. This is one of the hardest tips to force myself to do, but ends up being one of the very best, I promise.

At the beginning of the season, think through all your peoples favorite traditions. Get those on your schedule and make them your top priority. We love making a holiday bucket list of our very favorites (stay tuned next week for a free download). And then be okay with saying no to some of the fillers. If your people are anything like mine, they end up cherishing the time we just spend together at home just as much if not more.

:: YOU’RE ALLOWED TO SAY NO

This tip is probably the hardest one to stick to on an everyday basis, not just during the holiday season. We try to be super mom and volunteer for all the things, and it just isn’t possible, especially during the holiday season. Our number one focus should be spending time with the ones we love. So keep that in mind when you are making your decisions. If the Class Christmas Party means you get extra time with your little one, go for it. But realize maybe that means saying no to baking extra treats for a different activity. You can’t do it all, and trying to is just going to make the holiday season more stressful.

On that same note, it is okay to ask for help. I want to challenge you all to pick one thing that really doesn’t need to be done by you specifically this holiday season, and HIRE IT OUT. I promise you can do it. It will be the best present you give yourself this holiday. It could be something as simple as having your presents wrapped. Catering the desserts for your party instead of baking them yourself. Having someone decorate your tree for you or hang your lights. My personal favorite, have someone come and clean your house before hosting guests. Take one thing and let someone else do it, so you can have more time with your people.

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I hope you find these tips helpful and that you can be a little less stressed this year! I’d love to hear your best tips for a stress free holiday!