Though December is a wonderful time of the year, filled with loving families, time off , cool weather, cozy clothes and warm comfort foods, it can also become a fast pace and long hustle. Finding the perfect Christmas gifts for everyone, keeping the kids entertained, grocery shopping and recipe searching for Christmas meals, not to mention the cooking, and lots of cleaning and decorating for guests coming over can all be overwhelming and stressful!
Well, take a breath! We have all been there, and I am going to give a few tips on how to prepare and defeat the holiday hustle.
- Shop online! Take some of the time and stress away from shopping by doing it online and having everything shipped to your door! I am amazed on how many great deals are available online. For example, Amazon does “12 Days of Deals” where you can find amazing deals on several items. And many stores like Walmart, Target, Old Navy and Best Buy will have huge sales, gift guides, shipping or store pick up and gift wrapping options that will lessen your shopping time and give you more YOU time!
- Use the kids! There is no shame in using the kids to do some fun Christmas decorating! This solves three problems. It keeps the wound up kids busy, gets the house decorated and cleaned in the process. Like my mom use to tell us, “You have to straighten up the house before decorations go up.” The major plus, you don’t have to do any of it! You could get some cooking or online shopping done while the kids are doing the work.
- Make a list! I dread going grocery shopping some days. It seems like I am there for hours trying to get everything I need, and always end up with things I don’t need.
So here is the inside scoop of how to avoid the crowd, get in and out quickly, and escape the temptation of buying unhealthy holiday snacks.
- Look up recipes before and write down everything you need, that you don’t already have a home. This will prevent the wandering around and the “Wait, do we already have sugar?”
- Use websites, like Pinterest, to find healthier alternative recipes. Then USE THEM! They typically taste just as great, have less ingredients and have easy step by step instructions. Plus an already made list of ingredients. Major plus… They are healthy and you can avoid the “winter belly” we all seem to get!
- Go to the store to get nonperishable items weeks before Christmas. That way the week of Christmas you only need a few things!
- Lastly, go to the store at odd times. Like 2 in the afternoon on a Wednesday if possible. Many people don’t go midday. I would say the most popular times are weekend mornings and evenings. BUT, be aware the day before Christmas Eve, and Christmas Eve are probably the worst days to go!
There you go! Three simple tips on how to take some of the stress away from the holidays. Try them out and leave a comment on how they went. Thank you for your support!
I wish you a stress free holiday hustle!