10 Helpful Holiday hacks for a stress-free season- Blogmas day 1

December 1, 2020

This 2020 Holiday season has been quite different from previous ones. No big parties, shopping online, no Christmas festivals…. the list goes on, and it’s honestly very sad. Many businesses are having to close their doors or limit hours because the demand is just not as high. Plus, there is a massive pandemic sweeping the globe, your kids are home from school and you’re trying to juggle 10 things at once. Between work, home, school…. life is just crazy! This can all lead to feelings of stress which is not something you want during this time of year. The Holidays only come once a year so the last thing you want is to be missing them because of feeling STRESSED OUT.

So I sat down at my computer and came up with a list of 10 hacks to help those stressful feeling de-stress 🙂

Now, for my big news! As you can probably tell, I am doing blogmas this year! Since so many people are home I wanted to bring you guys some more content to occupy your extra time at home. 🙂 Everything from Holiday decor to the perfect presents to buy for mom and dad, I’ve got you covered. Here’s how it works if you’re new. Everyday for the month of December until Christmas I am blogging! The 25 days of Blogmas (as it’s called) will be taking place right here on my blog so make sure to follow along via email so you never miss a day!

Tip #1: Plan ahead

The first step for a stress free Holiday season is to plan ahead. Make the Christmas/Holiday food menu now, get Holiday shopping out of the way ASAP or at the most make a list of what you’re going to get everyone. Keeping a calendar handy with a little checklist/ “the date a task needs to be done by” is a great way to stay on time. I find that actually writing down my tasks on a piece of paper instead of going digital is a better way to organize because you can actually “check” it off. And nothing is more satisfying than that!

Tip #2: Prioritize Me-time

Make a MANDATORY note that fits at least 1 hour of me-time into EACH DAY! I love waking up an hour earlier to get some reading done, work on my blog, make crafts, get nails done, pampering session…. anything that constitutes as something especial for yourself will work here.

Now, I understand that an hour each day may be too much for some people to take off so you can either cut this down to 30 minutes or make it a weekly thing instead of daily, and up the time to 2 hours or more (since it’s not an everyday occurrence).

Tip #3: Find time to exercise

While some may categorize this with tip #2: prioritizing Me-time, I believe that “finding time to exercise” deserves its own time. Working out is important because 1. it’s good to move your body and 2. it releases stress. Even finding as little as 20-30 minutes a day to workout/move (run, walk, yoga…) can produce enormous benefits.

Here is an article by Mayo Clinic which goes over all the health benefits working out does for you – Click HERE to read.

Tip #4: Make a Budget

And stick to it! One of the biggest reasons people dislike the Holidays is because of the MASSIVE amount of spending that takes place. I don’t even need to go any further because we all have been down that money paved road…. So, the best way to avoid getting ourselves into a bunch is to make a budget. But not just make one, but most importantly STICK TO IT!

The easiest way to do this is to use a blank checkbook (you can buy them for cheap at staples or any grocery store), write down your budget at the top and every time you buy something subtract that amount from your budget. Once you hit $0 then you know you’ve used up all you can afford.

Tip #5: Be kind to yourself

If you’re tired then sleep in. If you want cake then eat the cake. If you don’t feel like shopping in the stores then stay home and order online. If you don’t want to cook Christmas dinner then order in. Be kind to yourself and listen to what you want/don’t want to do.

Tip #6: Find the best time to go shopping

Shopping in the early mornings or late nights is probably the best time to shop for presents in stores. You may also get a lull in mid afternoon.

With the virus going on you want to do your best to stay safe so maybe shop online this year and avoid going into the stores. But if you do need to in-store shop then those three times I listed above will probably be the best to go – less people

Tip #7: Take care of yourself

With the ushering in of the Winter comes cold weather and flu season! So make sure to balance out your diet- a piece of cake and an apple, a cookie and a carrot… :), take your supplements, sleep (so important) and bundle up when you go outside! You don’t want to get sick so take care of yourself. Your health is #1!

Tip #8: Have fun in the kitchen

Now is the time to have fun in the kitchen. Bake crazy cakes, cookies, pies, cinnamon rolls, cookie dough bites…. whatever you want! Have fun 🙂

Here are some recipes you could try!

For all my baking fans! – helpful posts for your baking!

Tip #9: Enjoy all the limited edition Holiday foods

One of my favorite things about the Holidays is all the limited edition foods out in the stores. So head to your local market and stock up on all those Holiday goodies because they won’t be here forever.

The Best Gluten Free Fall Food at Trader Joes – Food Review
My top 6 favorite items at Trader Joes- my first review: new page on blog
The best gluten free items at Trader Joe’s
This week I have a Trader Joes gluten free Christmas food list coming out on my blog! Stay tuned.

Tip #10: Remember what the Holidays are really about

The Holidays only come up once a year so don’t waste them by worrying about everything under the sun. Things happen and the best way to make sure you don’t miss the most wonderful time of the year is to just brush it off and move on. Go out with your friends (while being safe of course 🙂 ) decorate the house, bake cookies, make gingerbread houses, play in the snow….and most importantly have fun while doing it all.

Although this year the Holidays may not be about spending time with your family and friends cause of safety, you can still find so many ways to connect with them all while being safe!

Stay safe and healthy everyone and happy start to the Holiday season!

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