Ok, raise your hand if you are already stressed about Christmas and it’s only the beginning of December. On top of our careers and our kids, we’re expected to host, plan, cook, and make everything picture-perfect for the holidays? Sounds like a perfect recipe for holiday stress.
As moms, we sometimes dread the end-of-year holiday season because everything falls on us. The presents must be bought and wrapped, the decorations strung up, the holiday celebration plans, making dinners, taking photos. It can seem like a never-ending juggling act.
Holiday stress is REAL. But guess what? Our holidays don’t have to meet someone else’s definition of “perfect” to give us that sense of joy. Today I will be giving you some simple tips to help you enjoy this holiday season and manage the holiday stress by planning effectively, staying organized, setting realistic expectations, and remembering to take care of yourself first, before taking care of everyone else.
Sound good? Let’s get into it!
We Love the Holidays, But They Can Suck Too
Christmas time is so magical as a kid because you just get to enjoy everything. You never see all the trouble mom goes through to create the magic that we associate with the holidays. We wake up one day and the Christmas tree is decorated perfectly with all of our presents shining underneath. We smell the baking of gingerbread cookies and before we know it, we have plans to see Santa.
When we go on to have our own kids, we want to give them that same experience because that’s what we had them for, right?
It’s normal to feel overwhelmed this time of year. Your child won’t remember that they didn’t have a picture-perfect Christmas. But they will remember their happy and smiling mom who created special moments that they will look back on when they’re older.
Here are a few tips to make managing the stress of the holidays easier and allow you to put your focus where it matters most: on making memories with your family.
Set Realistic Expectations
In the hell that is the Instagram/social media age, it’s way too easy to get caught up in the “fake perfect” holiday pictures and compare ourselves to others. Don’t let the added pressure of fake expectations ruin your experience and cause you added stress.
Set realistic expectations within your budget and your abilities. If you know you won’t be able to afford matching pjs this year, don’t sweat it. If you know you can’t bake a gingerbread house from scratch, there’s nothing wrong with buying one from the store.
Prioritize What is Important to Your Family
Let go of the idea of the idea of perfect and prioritize the things that are important to your family. Create a “must-do list” and a “nice-to-do list” to keep these priorities at the forefront when you are planning for your holiday.
Are there any specific traditions you want to take part in or places that you know want to visit? Include these things in your “must-do list”. All the extras can go in the “nice-to-do list”. If you get to them, great! If not, that’s ok too. This way, you are making sure that you can get everything done that is important to your family.
Keep Your Schedule Simple to Avoid Creating Holiday Stress
Sometimes, we just try to do too much. I’m totally guilty of this, I will load up my plate so high that it seems like I’ll never get anything done and I’m likely to give up on it all. I’ve been able to cut back on this a lot by creating a simple holiday monthly schedule.
I find the monthly planner in my Ultimate Digital Life Planner to be especially helpful for this. Not only does it come with a monthly, weekly, and daily planner, but it also comes with 60 other super handy templates that I use all the time to stay organized.
You can get my daily, weekly, and monthly planners for free with my Basic Productivity Bundle when you sign up for my email list. You can also grab a free blank customizable calendar from my free printables. Consider either of these options if you’re looking for an easy way to stay keep yourself on a schedule.
Learn How to Say “No” and Schedule Your Downtime
Major key here: Don’t overcommit to plans with friends or family. It’s tempting and sometimes you may feel obligated, but it’s absolutely ok to say no. The only person that should dictate your family’s holiday plans is you!
Another great tip is to build downtime into your family’s schedule. While you’re making sure to include all the activities from your “must-do list”, remember to pencil in some relaxing days together where you can watch holiday movies, do some baking, and spend some time together as a family. This helps everyone stay relaxed and recharged throughout the season.
Plan Ahead and Stay Organized
Now is the perfect time to get ahead of the game with your holiday schedule. Planning ahead can eliminate holiday stress by giving you plenty of time to come up with an easy-to-manage workload.
- If you know that you’ll be hosting dinner, get your menu set and a list of all the food you will need. If you’re organizing a potluck, get with everyone now and make a list of what everyone is bringing.
- Do you still need to finish up your holiday shopping? Make a list of everyone who still needs a gift, write down the gift ideas or you can check out my post for planning DIY gifts and get a head start on those!
- Keep a list of all of the events you plan to attend from your “must-do list”. Get those scheduled now to avoid stress later in the season.
It’s so easy to procrastinate, but even taking small bits of time to make your plan will keep your holiday-related stress to a minimum.
If you’re so inclined, give ChatGPT a try! I love using it to plan out my schedules which I then transfer to my planners and calendars. Try prompts like “Create a holiday dinner menu and ingredient list”, tweak it to your tastes, and go from there.
Take Care of Yourself So That You Can Take Care of Others
The last thing I want to recommend you do for managing holiday stress is pretty crucial: remember to include your self-care.
While you’re scheduling your family’s downtime in your holiday planner, don’t forget to pencil in your own self-care time. Whether you like to recharge by reading, exercising, or going out for a coffee by yourself, it’s so important to take time for yourself. The ship can’t run without you, but it’ll be fine on its own for an hour or two.
Delegate some tasks to your partner, kids, or family members so that everything isn’t on your shoulders. This year, my husband and toddler decorated the tree and the living room while I got some work done. Is it perfect? No, but it’s way more special. They got to bond and create memories, and I didn’t have to spend hours doing it.
Create a Calm, Low-Stress Atmosphere in Your Home
We’ve all seen the moms that are busy running around doing a million things at once. Looking at them is enough to make you stressed, isn’t it? Work at creating an atmosphere that is calming and enjoyable to be in.
- Keep the lighting soft, play fun holiday music, and keep your decorations simple to avoid getting overwhelmed.
- Practice mindfulness by keeping a gratitude journal to reflect on moments with your family.
- Embrace the imperfections that make the holidays memorable.
Focus on Those Meaningful Moments
The holidays come around once a year, enjoy this time with your family instead of chasing perfection. My daughter is two and a half and is finally showing interest in Christmas lights and decorations. We’re using this time to the fullest.
She doesn’t care that the tree is wonky or that the Christmas cookies are a little ugly. Creating these traditions with her is what she will remember and look back fondly on when she’s older.
A word to my moms out there especially the young ones. You don’t have to conform to anyone’s idea of perfect. Focus on what makes you and your family happy and create those special moments with your kids.
Wrapping Up Your Tips for Managing Holiday Stress
We talked about a lot in this blog so let’s recap some of the high notes for managing holiday stress this season.
- The key to managing holiday stress is to prioritize what truly matters. Focus on your family’s connection and creating those moments of joy, not perfection.
- Take small, intentional steps to reduce stress to plan and stay organized to reduce stress and make the holidays fun for everyone.
- Don’t forget to take care of yourself while you’re taking care of everyone else.
This year, make the holidays about more than just the aesthetics. Make them about creating those memories that will last a lifetime.
I hope this post was helpful for the busy moms who are dreading this holiday season. Implement these tips to eliminate stress and stay ahead of the game!
If you still need a good planner, check out my Ultimate Digital Life Planner or my Free Basic Productivity Bundle by joining my email list to get started.
Do you have any other tips for managing holiday stress? Comment or share with us on the Facebook Page or Instagram. Follow me on Pinterest for fun holiday crafting ideas, baking recipes, and so much more!
Until next time <3
