How to enjoy the holidays (stress free)

The approaching holidays bring on dreams of dinner parties, reading by the fire and a lot of memory making moments.

Of course, I’m quickly snapped back to reality when the memory of holidays past creep in… an overbooked calendar, the stress of doing it all and overtired kids.

No thank you!

I’ve figured out how to avoid an overbooked summer, and I refuse to let Christmas wreak havoc on my sanity. Not when I have plenty of holiday stress relief tips right at my fingertips.

This is my favorite time of year and I intend to enjoy it! I’ve made myself a holiday plan. If you have additional ways to de-clutter the holidays, go ahead and share them in the comment section.

Holiday Stress Relief Tips

Keep the Holiday Fun at an All-Time High

Keep Pinterest in check!

I love Pinterest it’s true, but I also know how easy it is to crop a picture. (I’ve done it from time to time. 😉 )

I vow to remember that while a beautifully set table might be what I’m looking at… there’s a good chance that behind the camera is a screaming toddler, a destroyed living room and a photographer in jammies.

I refuse to let Pinterest set the standard for what OUR holidays will look and feel like!

Pick one or two traditions (and eliminate the rest).

When it comes to holiday stress relief tips, this is probably the most important one. An unrealistic todo list leaves me feeling behind and overwhelmed.

The easiest way to fix that is to get rid one as you add another.

Not everyone needs to have an Elf on the Shelf.

We got one in the middle of December last year and the kids loved it. We’ll do that this year, BUT that means I need to cut one of the other traditions. (Or maybe just give another tradition the year off).

Our week of Gingerbread has always been a favorite of mine. We’ve done it so many years in a row… and last year it didn’t really the excitement it once did.

Have some non-holiday fun.

By the time the actual holiday rolls around, it’s easy to be seriously burnt out. I’m going to schedule in some non-holiday fun like a family movie night that doesn’t involve a Christmas movie or a special drink that’s not peppermint flavored.

Keep our regular routine.

Kids (and maybe some adults… hee hee) function better with a routine.

Holidays tend to throw our routine for a loop. An out of whack routine is sure to increase holiday stress.

This year I am going to strive for keeping our routine as close to normal as possible.

That means meals are at the same time, bedtime is regularly scheduled (on most nights) and treats will be limited.

Ask for help & say no when you can. 

Ugh, the worst one on the list right? I’m actually getting pretty good at asking for help. It’s taken quite a bit of practice though.

This year I’m going to make sure I don’t stretch myself too thin by trying to do everything all by myself. Hubby is a great cook and he would be more than happy to do most of the holiday cooking!

On a similar note. Deciding what is important this month and saying no thank you to the rest will go a long way in holiday stress relief.

Schedule in downtime. 

Yes, yes and yes! Downtime is a huge part of our family and Christmas should be no exception. After all, the kids need down time to get creative in the ornament making area, and I need time to read by the fire.

Click the picture below to see one of our favorite super simple Christmas games.