The Holidays are the busiest time of year and THE MOST STRESSFUL TIME EVER..... There are a few things you can do to reduce your stress level and I hope these 5 tips help. When we think of the holidays, the first thing that comes to mind is the " Black Friday Sale" and for the first few years of my adult life, those sales were really enticing as I followed the crowd. Then after I had kids, I thought to myself "Why do I do this?" Why do I wait to shop after Thanksgiving, on the CRAZIEST DAY OF THE YEAR FOR SHOPPERS?
Due to trial and error through the years, I've discovered some things that have made my holidays a bit more JOLLY. I hope you all find this useful!
MY BIGGEST PIECE OF GOLD TO SHARE IS
" DON'T WAIT FOR THE SALES"
There is no SALE big enough to get me out to shop after Thanksgiving. I don't get sucked into the hype anymore. LOL. I just don't. It's not worth it. So what do I do now? I start Christmas shopping end of October and into November. If Best Buy has a great sale on electronics, I let my husband deal with the headache.
TIP # 1 : COMPLETE GIFT SHOPPING BEFORE DECEMBER.
If you have a lot of kids to shop for START EARLY, My holiday shopping is done in October and November. Don't wait until December. Do you have any idea how long those lines are? Is it really worth your TIME? And not only that, People are really cranky during the holidays. 2 years ago I was in line for almost 2 hours because the store was short of staff. People in line were cranky and pissed. My thought- GO HOME, but I needed those gifts, so I had to stay in that 2-hour line, emotionally drained.
TIP #2 : GET THAT CHRISTMAS TREE UP BEFORE DECEMBER.
I use to laugh at those people who got their tree up After Halloween, I thought, " man that person really loves Christmas" We'll guess who's no longer laughing --- > this momma right here. My Christmas tree is up the day before Thanksgiving. What's also really nice is that I found having the holiday decor up CHANGES THE MOOD in the home, everyone likes seeing a pretty Christmas tree and MY KIDS LOVE seeing presents collect under the tree.
- Start a family tradition- I have a big family, Between my siblings and I, we use to have this tradition where we all have our own Christmas tree, and then we have a " FAMILY CHRISTMAS TREE"; whichever sibling has that tree will host Christmas the following year. " Since Covid, we no longer do this tradition and I threw that tree out because it was old and the lights no longer worked. Hosting the holidays is a lot of work, and My siblings and I have agreed that I will host unless they want to do it. My sister said " I'm always Christmas ready so just do it at my house" lol
TIP #3 : CHRISTMAS PORTRAITS AND CARDS PRINTED AND SHIPPED DEC 1ST.
Yes this is true. If you have done a holiday session with me, you will understand how much stress this saves you. I can guarantee we all know someone, still waiting last minute to get their photos done with Santa, or Sessions had to be canceled due to bad weather. It's a tradition here in our studio where we complete Holidays sessions in November. WE NO LONGER OFFER HOLIDAY SESSIONS IN DECEMBER.
TIP #4 : BE POTLUCK READY
If you don't own one yet, GET AN INSTANT POT. Have your "go-to potluck" dish that way you know exactly what you need to get and be done. I use to spend hours, last minute trying to figure out what to make for potlucks! A few times I've gone to the grocery store thinking I'd just wing it and buy what ever. NO MORE. Aunty Cindy ( me lol ) is known for her instant pot Pasta and I'd love to share it with you as it's sooooo EASY and THE KIDS LOVE IT.
TIP #5 : DON'T FORGET ABOUT YOURSELF
AS MOMS, WE ALWAYS FORGET ABOUT OURSELVES. We do everything for everyone else and we put so much time and energy and focus on others that by Christmas arrives we are so exhausted and ready for the holidays to be over. I don't know about you guys, but I WANT TO ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS. So for me, family time is important. This year, I planned a family cabin trip before Christmas and I LOVED IT. I FOUND THIS WONDERFUL CABIN I'D LOVE TO SHARE! IT'S SO FAMILY-FRIENDLY AND WE HAD SUCH A WONDERFUL TIME. Yes, this was a family trip, BUT IT WAS REALLY FOR ME lol. I got to sit back and relax and enjoy the family. NO WORK, NO STRESS.
Yes, I'll share the cabin, This was a totally random place I found.
SOME GOOD READS: Read a book, Relax.
Good Relaxing Read: If you're looking for a great love story : A Witch in Time is a good one! This story is about a tragic curse that connects lovers again and again in different lifetimes.
Check Out: A Witch in Time
Mental Health: I use to think Dr.Phil was all for a show and that his stories were no real. We'll after experiencing mental health firsthand myself with a family member, I started to see how common it was. I started to watch Dr.Phil and then I bought his book. I think there are some GREAT TIPS in this book. Honestly, I wanted to read this book so I could learn some parenting tips on what I can do to not contribute to the poor mental health for my own children.
Check Out: LIFE CODE by Dr.Phil McGraw.
Great Kids Book: Full of laughs. I enjoy reading this book ALOT with my 9 year old lol. We always get great giggles. I highly recommend it.
Check out : The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors
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