Ready or not, the holiday season is upon us! From October through December it seems like the calendar is filled with work, school and social events. It can be hard to keep up, stay organized, stay on budget, stay sane, and still have fun in the process!
I’ll admit my type A personality has turned me into somewhat more of a last-minute survival mode kind of person since I’ve had my kids. However, I still have a few tips and tricks I rely on to keep us rolling through the days and weeks with some semblance of organization, and even ease at times.
My husband and I love holidays, so most every one is a big deal in our house. We love decorating, dressing the family in holiday attire and attending holiday events. We love themed parties and events, and all that they entail. That said, things have certainly gotten a little out of control with holiday marketing. I have found it even harder to have self control with holiday-themed shopping since I had my kids. However, I believe there’s still a way to make the holidays fun and less stressful, without depleting all resources.
1. To-Do List
I have always been a keeper of a fairly extensive written to-do list. When I started work as a professional, I made my to-do list electronic. Now that I am a working mother, I use both! My to-do list is my lifeline and I am regularly reviewing and updating it.
I would highly recommend using an electronic to-do list that can be shared with your spouse or other caregivers for your children. Once the kids are old enough to have a phone, they can get in on the to-do list action too! If they are not quite there with the electronics but old enough to read, you can keep a big dry erase to-do list in a central part of the house.
I have my lists organized by type of list. For example, there are daily, weekly and monthly lists that get continuously updated, as well as lists for each family member, shopping lists and specific one-time lists. These one-time lists are what I use to stay organized for each holiday as a whole, or for specific holiday events.
2. Calendar
My calendar is my other lifeline. I still keep a paper calendar but my electronic calendar is where the magic happens. My electronic calendar is color coded and updated regularly. There are colors for each family member and for each type of event. If you use this method, you could use a specific color for all holiday events. I find it easier to color code holiday events as either work, school or social. I keep notes within the calendar event about what our responsibility is for that event, such as bringing food/goody bags, gifts or donations. I also make note of whether the kids are included or if not, who the babysitter will be for that event.
3. Budget
I am no budget expert and it’s my least favorite thing to attend to on my to-do list. However, having a holiday-specific budget really helps keep you and your family on track. It can be hard to have self control in this area but my best advice is to think about what things are most important to you and spend on those things. It can be easy to get sucked into Pinterest-worthy gift bags and baskets for every little school or work event, but your kids and colleagues will never remember all of that. They will just remember that you were there.
4. Buy Ahead and Buy in Bulk
As soon as the holidays roll around, I go ahead and start making lists of what I am going to need for each holiday in terms of work, school, church and social events. There are things that will inevitably pop up of course, but there are some recurring things that I can plan on every year.
After season sales are a great time to buy for the following year. I love to do this for cards, stickers, Halloween and Christmas treat bag stuffers, Christmas stocking stuffers, funny gift parties and decorations. Amazon and Target are great places to buy because they keep track of your purchases and you can easily refill your cart with something you bought months ago when it goes on sale.
Once the holiday is over, I store these purchased items in a holiday-specific bin that goes up in the attic, along with the decorations and other holiday garb.
5. Enlist your kids’ help and have fun!
I am so guilty of doing everything myself because of how much extra time, effort, mess and (sometimes) stress is involved when I let my kids help. But, let them help! It’s so much more fun for them to pass off holiday goodie bags to their classmates and teachers when they helped make them. Your home decorations may not be Southern Living worthy but when your kids get to be involved in holiday decorating, they feel part of something really special, and you get to create meaningful holiday traditions and memories with them along the way.
The holidays can be a really joyful time, and also a really stressful time. Limiting or eliminating some of the stress by staying organized by using the tips above, can hopefully allow you move through the weeks and months with more ease and more joy this holiday season.
