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Ever had a Christmas morning that just ended up leaving you stressed? I think most of us, especially us parents have been there. Maybe it isn’t Christmas morning. Maybe you are hosting a holiday party, or maybe you are trying to get a great holiday picture. You can plan, and have a positive attitude, but something happens, or lots of little things add up and before you know it, you are stressed out, frustrated, and just not enjoying the Holidays.
This year will be different. Why? Because, I have been there and done that. See, I know stress, I know anxiety, I know wanting everything to go perfectly, and I know the result of when things come up. Truth be told, I have most likely been there and done that with most of the little hiccups you might ever experience this holiday season. And that is why I want to help you learn from my mistakes. I have learned a little pre-planning, a little back-up planning, and a little creative thinking can save my Christmas morning, or any other Christmas celebration. So I am sharing. Because I want to save your Christmas for you.
Make a calendar/plan. If you don’t already have a calendar or a planner, use your phone or even print out a calendar to use. Start filling in all your commitments for the next two weeks and also filling in time to do all the things you need to prepare for the holidays. Need to finish shopping? Put it on there. Have cookies to bake, block out some time for that. Don’t forget to block out a little relaxation time as well.
Check your list and finish up gift shopping. Did you miss anyone? You want to find out now, not later. So be sure to check. Also, while you are at it, check if any of those gifts you already purchased need batteries. Now is the time to finish up that shopping. If you are shopping online, be sure to watch for deadlines to receive your items on time, and make sure items are, or will be in stock as well. Even if you have Amazon Prime, two-day shipping won’t work if that item is not in stock by the deadline.
Check photo storage for your camera or phone. You don’t want to be trying to get a picture with Great Grandma, or maybe your child’s face as they open that present, and get the “memory full” error. Now, yes right now, start clearing out unwanted photos, and backing up those you do want. Clear out as much space as possible and know that you will have plenty of room when you need it.
Do this before wrapping. We learned that nothing ruins our Christmas morning quite like trying to get toys out of the boxes, batteries in them, and get them ready for the kids. So we learned. Before wrapping, we open up the boxes, snip all the ties, put in all the batteries, and either slide the toys back in the box, or wrap them creatively. Then, as soon as they kids open them, they are easy to get out, batteries loaded, and ready to go. Christmas. Morning. Saved.
Make your meal plan. Include everything you will need for food from now until a few days after Christmas. Make your holiday meal plan and be sure you have all the ingredients. If not, add them to your shopping list. Be sure to include little things you might want like hot cocoa mix, bacon to go with Christmas morning breakfast, or even a little ice cream to go with the left over pie (leftovers? What are leftovers?).
Get your shopping done this weekend. Just do it. This is the last weekend before Christmas, and you will want to get it done. It will give you all of next week to figure out any little items (food, stocking stuffers, etc) that you may have forgotten. Be sure to think of everything you might need from bows to toilet paper. Then, hopefully, if you did forget anything, you will notice it about 2-3 days before Christmas.
Take a night off. This time of year is so busy, it is so easy to overload ourselves. I am guilty of it. I know I have friends who are guilty of it. Take one night to just relax and enjoy time with those you love. Sit around, tell stories, watch a movie, sing carols. Whatever it is you want to do. Heck, maybe you can even take a few hours to yourself and curl up and read a book, or catch up on some sleep. We often get so wrapped up in all we have to do we forget that is not what is important. Even baking those cookies to give to a family down the street can wait. Take some time and reflect on the season and the reason you celebrate it- whatever that reason may be.
Hopefully these tips will help save your Christmas. Or at least save you some major holiday stress.
Do you have any tips that will help save someone’s Christmas? If so leave them in a comment below.
