How to Make the Holidays Less Stressful

You don’t have to look very hard to see that the holidays are here. Home Depot had their Christmas décor up three weeks ago, scary! While buying paint, I actually had a few seconds of anxiety. But then I knew what had to be done. Deep breaths! This year I am going to enjoy the holidays and relax. I know this may sound unrealistic but here are a few steps that I will be following. If you like, you can follow them too. Can’t hurt to try, right?

1. Get Focused: What do you wish the holidays were like and how do you think you can recreate that idea? I would love to travel this holiday season, go see some family. So, now it’s time to start looking at weekend getaways. If you want this holiday season to be about giving, find a local charity and donate. You can even have your friends and family help. This will be memorable and charitable. The main idea here is to focus on something and actually follow through with it. It’s when we don’t follow through with something or a deadline is closely approaching that we get stressed. Stop the stress and just do it!
2. Make a list and check it twice: You probably have a lot of things swirling around in your head about this holiday season. Presents, dinners, family, budget, etc… jot them down on paper, the computer or your blackberry. The point here is if your write them down you are able to visualize your tasks at hand and prioritize daily. This will offer you some free time to actually sit back and have a cup of cider.
3. Make it Simple: Reward yourself for years past hard work. You deserve it! Take a couple things off your list and ask for others to help. But make sure to keep checking your list. This will help you realize what you can do without.
4. The Budget: This is always a daunting task to do but always necessary. Time to set the budget for this season of gift giving. This year is about saving. According to a survey conducted by ING DIRECT, saving was 41% of respondent’s top priorities. “Americans are looking to build up an emergency fund (37%), pay down debt (35%) and save for retirement (34%). More than two-thirds of respondents claimed they will continue with their frugal ways even after the recession.” – e-Marketer 
   I’m not going to go broke by spending all my money on gifts this year and neither do you. We’re all kind of in the same boat here. Times are a little tougher but that just means we have to be a tiny bit more creative than last year. Instead of buying the new video console for your kids take them to the arcade for an afternoon, cook your family a meaningful dinner, write a nice letter, and just enjoy this time of year.

Deep breaths of the cold crisp air have me ready! I’m going to use the four steps above to help make my unrealistic goal of being relaxed this season into reality. Here I come… calm, cool, and collected. It’s time to take the first step and get organized and focused. Come Black Friday, I’ll have the holiday tunes up, feet up, and the dog up to rest her head on the sofa. Time to stop writing and start doing! You in?