It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

How on earth did the holiday season get here so quickly? Wasn’t it just yesterday we were putting away the Christmas decorations and getting ready for spring?  I don’t know about you but this year seemed to just fly by!

One thing that I’ve learned though, especially in the past few years, is that holidays can be super stressful if you don’t put a plan of attack into place early on.  The shopping, the gift wrapping, the cookie swaps, the decorating, the cooking, the parties, the school programs and the family visit can feel like a boa constrictor around your neck by the time January 1st rolls around.  Instead of enjoying the holidays you start to wish they were over by mid-December.

Well, this old sage here would like to share a few tips to help you actually enjoy your holiday season this year:

• Start your planning early.  If you haven’t had the chance to start all ready, get a pen and paper and sit down and start writing down what you’d like to do this year.  Now, if your list is too long, then I really want to suggest that you rethink it and put down what is really important to you as far as making memories with your family.  It’s too easy to have high and lofty ideas of being Martha Stewart on an IV drip of espresso for the holidays.  The best holidays are the ones that are simple and full of fun and love.

•   Keep gifts reasonable and stick to a budget. Impulse buying is an easy trap right now.  Shop around, compare prices, and limit yourself to 4-5 gifts per child, not 10 or more just because you don’t want them to feel  cheated.  Kids will be excited about the holidays and it’s not necessary to put them on toy overload on Christmas morning.

•    Shop online.  I did about 80 percent of my shopping online and I’m happy to say  that I have only two more gifts to purchase which I intend to get as soon as possible.  I’ve found some of the best deals online at various online retailers and be sure to check out the sale and clearance areas first – you’ll be surprised at what you find.  I also started shopping back in August for gifts for holiday exchanges for book club and for our school holiday party.  You would not believe what awesome deals I found!

•   Plan simple menus.  As much as I’d like to be one of those women who creates tons of edgy, eclectic dishes for her guests to enjoy, I’m also careful to not stress myself out by spending days in the kitchen cooking.  I stick to simple dishes like turkey, lasagna, prime rib.  These are easily put together and popped into the oven.  They’re always a hit and the prime rib in our house is now a requirement every Christmas.  If you’re having family over, have them bring one or two side dishes or one side dish and a dessert.  This makes everyone feel a part of the dinner preparations and it lightens the load on you.

•   Decorate simply. Your house DOES NOT need to look like the Griswold’s in order to be considered festive.  I do limited decorating on the outside of my house each year.  A couple of wreaths and some poinsettia plants and a few cute things on the porch.  Simple but elegant on the outside.  On the inside, I’ve limited myself to a tree with a theme each year (ok so some of us are a bit anal when it comes to not having the same boring colors each year, I admit I’m one of those people).  I also have made it now where I can change up and integrate those themes.   If you have children, let them help you decorate! They LOVE to be a part of this process.  Your tree may not be totally something you’d see featured in a magazine but the love and pride that is put into it makes it all worthwhile.

•   Simplify holiday baking.  Take advantage of the premade refrigerated cookie dough whenever possible.  You can fancy those up by buying the peanut butter cookie dough and tossing a Hershey kiss in the middle or you can buy the Christmas M & M’s and put those in the chocolate chip cookie dough or use the sugar cookie dough for cut outs.  If you’re a busy mom and need to have cookies around, trust me, this will be a lifesaver.  The kids love them and no one is going to chastise you for doing something semi-homemade.

•     Sit back and take it all in. Easier said than done, I know, but the holidays really are all about making memories and enjoying family.  My two children are all grown up now and I would give my eye teeth and both my arms to have them wake me up at 6 a.m. all excited about Santa’s arrival and digging into the gifts.  I miss that so much.  I miss the screeches of delight as they see what they got and I miss watching them play with their toys until they pass out on the floor from Christmas overdose. 

I hope these few tips help you have an easier and more joyous holiday.  Savor the magic, enjoy the music, capture the moments that make it all worth it.