55 Tips to Help You Keep Calm and Enjoy the Holiday Season
I love the holiday season. I LOVE entertaining, shopping and of course indulging! But I know so many people who stress out around the holidays and it breaks my heart. So here’s a list of stress free ideas, that will hopefully make you less stressed and better yet, make you smile and feel oh-so good!
1. Volunteer (I promise it will make you feel so good about yourself)
2. Skip the China and use fancy disposable plates for your guests
3. Hire a cleaning crew just this one time
4. Get a mani and pedi
5. Better yet, get a massage to relax
6. Skip the stores, order online
7. Not sure what to buy a special person in your life- go for a gift card
8. Swap recipes with friends to try something new
9. Order holiday cards now so you don’t wait until the last minute
10. Order stamps online for those holiday cards
11. Get your make-up done at a department store counter before your holiday party, and definitely buy the lipstick
12. Wrap gifts as they arrive so you don’t have to do them all at once (just make sure you label them really good)
13. Wrap gifts for your kids in their own special wrapping paper so each kid has their own pile
14. Have a cookie swap party with your girlfriends
15. Don’t skip the gym and definitely indulge- it is the holidays!
16. Take a bath
17. Lounge around and watch a holiday movie with your family, ELF is one of our favs
18. Use a disposable tablecloth- trust me no one will care
19. Ask for help
20. Order in
21. Hire someone to help
22. Throw that oddly shaped gift in a bag with tissue paper
23. Wrap ribbon around napkins to instantly spruce up your table
24. Have your kids make cute seating cards
25. Breathe
26. Store bought desserts are ok!
27. Give kids gingerbread kits to work on- it will keep them busy for quite a while
28. Don’t say yes to every invitation if you’re feeling overwhelmed
29. Phone a friend
30. Ask friends and family to bring an app, side dish or dessert to your big gatherings
31. Buy a gift for them, then one for yourself
32. Don’t wear heels
33. If cutting down your own tree stresses you out-its ok to go fake
34. Shop with your best girlfriends
35. Don’t try to be Martha Stewart
36. Don’t stress about calories
37. Buy the dress
38. Set a budget and try to stick to it
39. Take a nap
40. Wear comfy clothes- no, not yoga pants, but a tight dress won’t do you any good either
41. Nosh before the bash so you’re not ravenous
42. Buy the person in line at the Starbucks drive through their drink-hopefully they’ll pass it on
43. Say thank you-often!
44. Donate clothes, toys or anything you never use
45. Take your kids shopping to pick out a gift for a child the same age and donate it to your favorite charity
46. Anything you can prep ahead- do it!
47. Turn all electronics off, play music and sit by the fire
48. Buy a gift box subscription for someone you love- so many choices now and it’s so easy to order
49. Go out to dinner instead of cooking
50. Shop on Etsy and help a small business
51. Get your hair done
52. Drive around with your kids to see some awesome x-mas light displays
53. Take a break from social media-after you read my blog of course!
54. Skip the ribbon and bows on your gifts-no one cares
55. Avoid anyone that makes you feel less special than you truly are!
Have a tip of your own? Please share!