The holiday season is officially upon us—making it special and stress-free requires some planning and preparation. There are various small steps we can take that will ensure a holiday season full of joy and love. It’s important to be intentional about keeping our priorities in mind. What is most important to your family? Make a list, and keep all of the items in mind while you plan your to-do’s. Below, a few tips are outlined to help guide you. These are certainly not the only things you should be doing to get ready for the holidays, however, they are a great starting point to set you up for success!
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5 Tips to Help You Get Ready for the Holidays
1. Declutter
When you find yourself two months out from Christmas, decluttering should be inching to the top of your to-do list. You never know who will be stopping by throughout the season. A great place to start would be Christmas related storage. With Christmas accessories piling up over the years, it can take up a lot of storage space. Keep the decorations you love and donate the pieces you no longer have a use for to help organize and optimize your storage areas. Another area of your home that you’ll benefit from decluttering is the kitchen. Your kitchen will be in high demand during the holidays. Whether you are decorating gingerbread houses or simply preparing a dish to pass, the more organized it is the calmer you will feel. Don’t forget to organize your bedroom as well. This can provide you a great place of refuge each night, away from all of the pandemonium!
2. Plan Your Budget
Before you begin spending money on gifts, decorations, and greeting cards, take a moment to set up a financial plan for yourself. It’s important to outline everything from stocking stuffers to what you wish to spend on gift wrapping supplies. If you start shopping before setting limits for yourself, it can be easy to overspend. While creating your budget, consider who you’ll be buying for and how many total gifts you’ll need to purchase. That way you can find ways to keep costs low but still bring something along to your holiday parties and celebrations. Set aside your holiday funds into a separate account so that your finances so get jumbled.
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3. Make a Holiday Bucket List
Throughout the chaos this season brings, it can seem to pass by in a flash. Before you lose yourself in the many holiday parties and family gatherings, write down some traditions and excursions you wish to do within the colder months. From ice skating in town to taking the whole family to cut down your Christmas tree, it’s the perfect time to make lasting memories with the entire family. To make your bucket list on the reasonable side, you can limit it to one item a week! Take the kids sledding on a Saturday morning or cap off the day by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa. Whatever it is, make the time special for the entire family. Here are some more ideas to add to your bucket list.
4. Bake in Advance to Get Ready for the Holidays
We all know how time-consuming baking can be. We’ve all been there, trying to bake a batch of cookies the night before the event, with that looming sense of panic. A great way to combat that feeling of being overwhelmed is baking in advance. Having a couple of batches of cookies in the freezer to pop in the oven will prove to be beneficial time and time again. You can even use your baking skills to double as presents. Bake lots of different cookies and other treats and hand them out to family and friends. Not only is this is a tasty gift, they will appreciate the sentiment! This is also a very budget-friendly way to go about gift-giving.
5. Take Care of Yourself—Don’t Forget!
Make appointments for yourself, and show yourself some self-care. Schedule time to take a nap, or section off an entire day to work on a beloved hobby. It is so easy to forget about your wellbeing when spending time making sure everyone else is enjoying themselves. Neglecting yourself can result in extreme exhaustion or even an emotional meltdown. Both scenarios are not what you want during the holidays. It becomes crucial to leave white spaces on your calendar to fill in at your leisure. It could be going to the movies or falling asleep a couple of hours earlier than normal. Treat yourself!
Guest Writer:
Rebecca is a content writer based in Dallas. You can find her researching the latest wellness trends, or preparing her family for the upcoming holidays!
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Photo Credits: Samantha Gades, Heidi Sandstrom, Jakob Owens, Miroslava, Annie Spratt, Drew Coffman,
