Christmas? Already? It’s not even time for Thanksgiving yet! But I’ve been thinking about Christmas, specifically how to de-stress Christmas this year.
True confession…. For the past two years, I’ve sent out our Christmas cards three days before Christmas. I’ve pulled off Christmas baking in the wee hours, had special (forgotten) gifts shipped overnight, and tried to implement and continue Christmas traditions on the fly.
It’s been stressful.
It’s been expensive.
And I’m tired of it.
This year I want to truly be able to kick back, relax, and enjoy the Christmas season with my friends and family. That means that I have to start thinking NOW about what needs to be done to make that happen.
The first thing I’m doing is creating a want-to-do-list. There are handmade gifts I want to actually get made this year. There are family activities I’ve wanted to do for YEARS. But each Christmas I find myself rushing around and having to choose which tradition or activity to do because I wasn’t prepared enough to have everything ready. (Can anyone identify with trying to put together a handmade Advent calendar on the night of November 30th?)
Now, don’t get me wrong… I don’t want to be running around like a crazy woman because I’ve over-planned Christmas activities. That would go against what I’m trying to accomplish. Instead I want to think through what I want, what my husband wants, and what my daughter wants … and then I want us all to have the time and energy to do those things.
My goal for this week is simple. I’m going to start the conversation with my family. I’m going to find out what they want to do this Christmas. Maybe they want to see a play. Maybe it’s driving through the huge Christmas lights display at Oglebay. Maybe it’s just an evening of Christmas music and hot chocolate. These are the moments that we’ll cherish, so I want to make them count. I want our daughter to remember the moments, not a frazzled mom who’s yelling at her to HURRY because we’re going to be late (because Mommy was not organized). So I’m starting now.
I’m sharing this post as part of:
:: Thrifty Thursday hosted by Coupon Teacher
:: Finer Things Friday hosted by The Finer Things in Life
:: Frugal Friday hosted by Life As Mom
For the past couple year, I have made a list like yours of things we want to do during the Christmas season. Then, we see what we can fit in the schedule, keeping in mind that we also want to enjoy ourselves 🙂 Having a plan and starting early is key. It can make or break your Christmas season!
So glad this has been tried and found successful! I’m hoping that we have a ton of time to relax together and enjoy some good Christmas music, books, and hot cocoa. 🙂 Thanks for the encouragement!
Isn’t the saying: people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan?
Not that the holidays are a competitive sport, but they are stressful. Can’t wait to dig thru the rest of the posts in this series! Great idea.
If you have a moment, please share some of the idea at your series @ Holiday Link Party. Hope to see you there!
So, so true about failing to plan. Glad you enjoyed it!