5 Holiday Planning Tips for a Stress-Free Season

Holiday Planning Tips To Enjoy the Holidays

The holidays are here! I want to give you the perfect holiday planning tools so you can enjoy time with family and friends instead of cramming for the turkey, gifts, and decorating the home.

It won’t take much, and if you give yourself one full hour for planning, you will be ready to have everything you need for a successful holiday season.

If you’ve been to any store lately, you’ve seen the holiday decorations hit the stores. It’s the time of the year that puts everyone in a good mood until our families arrive and we realize that we haven’t done half of what we wanted or, worse, what needed to be done. And then the rush is on to get it all done at the last minute.

Well, let’s not worry about how we did so far. We are here to change it! Let’s plan for THIS year, and with good holiday planning, you and I will have a happy, stress-free holiday season.

Believe me, even with my organizing skills and after so many years in the US, I still get surprised by how fast decorations, presents, and food hit the stores just to disappear from the shelves quickly again. So, after a couple of stressful seasons – and “Santa” not finding what the kids asked for – I decided that I needed to start early and get organized to avoid unnecessary worries.

Now is the time to plan out your whole event. By now, you should know whether you will travel to relatives for the holidays or host dinner. It’s a good time to start planning your menus and your presents for the people on your list.

With a little holiday planning, you’ll enjoy a fun and loving season.

1. Shopping

The shopping: Write a list of each person you would like to gift. If you need to draw names, make it happen via email this week. Then, select a budget for each person, draw the cash out, and put it in envelopes. Start by perusing the catalogs and looking for what’s available online. It’s an easier way to shop and will help you stay away from that crazy holiday rush.

Just be careful with the shipping & handling fees if you decide to do all your shopping this way. They can really eat up your gift budget.

2. Decorating

Once you get the shopping done, it’s time to start decorating for the holidays. I love looking online for holiday decorations and ideas for the home, the table settings, and present wrapping ideas.

I am not a crafty person, and I do shop for my decorations instead of making them, but if you’re “crafty” enough AND have the time, then by all means, include a couple of projects in your list as gifts for your friends and neighbors. Presents like pinecone wreaths or candle covers are easy, fun to make, and last for years.

3. Cooking

Next, comes the cooking part! I am lucky as this part is taken over by my husband, who loves cooking and does a great job in the kitchen. It may seem like the cooking should wait, but it’s a great time to start right now!

We still have time before Thanksgiving, and an early weekend morning can be a great time to bake up and decorate holiday cookies and bars. In addition, homemade jellies and jams make excellent holiday gifts to share.

My personal favorite is an easy two-layer dark-white chocolate, nuts, and dry-fruits bar. It’s so delicious! I wrap a good pile of it in cellophane with a beautiful ribbon, and it makes an affordable and delicious gift for neighbors, the mailman, the gardener, and school staff, for example. And it can also be given as a treat with a larger gift.

4. Creating Memories With Family Pictures

The family pictures for the holiday cards! If your kids are anything like mine, you can’t get them to look at the camera without making a silly face. Oh, my gorgeous boys!

But, here are some inexpensive options to pass on the expense of a studio shoot: get your kids dressed and head to your favorite hotel lobby for a beautiful holiday picture, or if you are in warmer places like us, dress in jeans and white t-shirts and go to the beach for a fun time, showing your relaxed spirit!

Print your cards or newsletters, buy your holiday stamps, and, if you’d like, print your addresses using a text editor like Word using the templates with the address labels. I like to carry my kit with me in a poly envelope with all my supplies in it. I go to a nice coffee place and enjoy my time doing it.

5. Schedule Me-Free-Time

Last but not least, understand that the holidays are some of the most stressful times of the year. If you have a family and are traveling or entertaining, you need to schedule some time for relaxing without doing anything. Book your manicure ahead of time, ask your hubby to take the kids out for a couple of hours, and sit back with your favorite drink and enjoy some alone, quiet time!

After following these steps, you have finished your homework, and all your holiday planning is done! Now, let’s get busy implementing what we planned and get ready to enjoy the season. This year you’ll be able to relax and enjoy the holidays, creating memories, instead of stress!

I hope you enjoy these holiday planning tips! CHRISTMAS PLANNERDownload your holiday planner here.