Tips for a Successful Holiday Season
Every year, I feel like December and Christmas sneak up on me, and I don’t get to do everything that I want to do. Can you relate?
This year, I decided to implement some strategies for a more enjoyable holiday time. Below you’ll find tips I am trying to make this a successful holiday season
Ditch the expectations - I love the internet and social media, but honestly around the holidays I think it’s a real b***h. Everyone is posting all of their holiday traditions, family, food, decorations, extravagant packages, trips (well not as much this year), Christmas
lights, etc. It’s a bit overwhelming, and it’s easy to feel like your life or holiday season isn’t good enough…. which is why my first tip is Ditch the expectations. I know I am posting holiday things this year, but that’s because I am at a point in my life where I can, and I wasn’t a year ago. I also, doubt I will figure out how to wrap a badass Christmas gift, but if I do….. you bet I’ll make a video( lord knows I might not be able to do it twice).
I remember the year after my grandma Louise passed away, I just wanted Christmas to be like it was before and it was very difficult to handle knowing that a Christmas just like it used to be would be a thing of the past.
This year, the holidays might look a lot different for you too, so I encourage you to ditch the exceptions, and embrace that where you are is enough and worthy of enjoying yourself.
Make a list- I love good list. Really I live on lists and organize my entire existence on lists. For the holidays, make a list of what you want to do…. and I mean what you actually want to do. If you hate doing something, but feel like you have to, I am giving you permission to stop doing things you don’t want to do. I implemented this at Halloween, when I realized I do not enjoy carving pumpkins at all….. maybe you don’t enjoy wrapping gifts, well start the tradition of bags and increase your happiness.
Plan your food-I already feel exhausted when I think about Christmas food because Thanksgiving wasn’t long ago and my homemade rolls plus personal pumpkin pies were a labor of love that I’m not ready to repeat, yet. This means I am planning my menu for Christmas already. My brother and I started planning our Christmas menu the day after Thanksgiving because we didn’t want to have the same food. I already had the food shipped to my parents so it is ready to cook on Christmas day. Also, when planning food, don’t forget to take advantage of almost homemade dishes. I have a few crowd favorites that are almost homemade and so easy, anyone could make them. I’ll share those recipes later this month!
Do an activity - Maybe this year you wanted to do something specific like a Santa Tree Farm or go to the Ice Castles, but you feel stressed with what you already have to do. Do an activity you want to do! If there was your last Christmas ever, what is one thing you want to do?! Do that! For real, make the plans and do that. Your happiness and enjoyment around the holidays matter.
Spread holiday cheer - I’ve probably watched a few too many Hallmark/Netflix Christmas movies where the holiday spirit is extra merry and bright, but spreading extra holiday cheer will brighten your own holiday season. This doesn’t mean spending money. This is all about kindness, being extra thoughtful, and patience. It’s so easy to get frantic around the holidays, or get taken over by stress, but the holiday season is really all about what we can do for others and having a grateful heart. Maybe that just means holding the door for someone a few extra steps behind you at the grocery story entrance, every little thing makes a world of difference.
I hope you can take a least one of these tips to help enhance your holiday season.
As always, thank you for reading!
XO,
Madison