December is here now and that means all the fun of Christmas and sometimes it means all the stress of Christmas too. There are a million things to do and of course, just one more present to buy. All we want to do is enjoy the Christmas season without stress and it seems all there is to do is rush rush rush. Is it possible?
Slow Down
First slow down grab a cup of tea or coffee, a pad of paper and a pencil and sit down. Write done all your must-dos. The places that you have to be, any children’s concerts, work parties, or neighborhood bashes. Pencil these into your calendar. Now you’ll see the days that you have left that you can do things that you want to. We always have certain family traditions that I will always want to put in my calendar.
Traditions
Second, make a list of your family traditions. do you go caroling? do you look at lights? Do you have a picnic under the Christmas tree? What are the things that you absolutely cannot do without? pencil this on your calendar these are just in this important as any other thing that you have to do.
Now for the things that we have to fit in. Make a list of each selection of things that you need to get done yet.
Shopping
Christmas shopping- do what you can online. You can get many of the same deals if not better online and you can go in from store to store and you save a lot of time. Make your list for whoever you have to by 4 and have an idea of what you want. I always try and start early but if I can’t then at least if I have an idea what they want I can look online for it in different places. I love Krazy Coupon Lady and money-saving Mom for their wonderful deals that they always seem to find.
Baking
Baking- make a list of all the different kinds of cookies that you have to make. Make a list of all the different kinds of candies. I also include anything that I can make ahead for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I put them in foil containers and put them in the oven from the freezer with the directions on top. That way I’m a little bit ahead and enjoy my guess more. I also try and make up a few dishes to put in ahead for company entertaining. and a few dishes for really busy nights when I don’t have time for anything else. I love doing several crockpot meals in bags and put them in the freezer ahead of time and you can find a bunch of those here.
Extras
Misc- now what else do you need to put in there you might have a list that I don’t think of. If so write it all down then you don’t need to worry about what you’re forgetting you have everything written down right now.
Eliminate
Now I want you to go back over your list. Cross out what’s what’s not absolutely necessary. I know I always put way more kinds of cookies on there than I actually need to make. I put way more of everything on my list that I actually need to do. so go back over and cross part of them out you’ll know how many you need to cross out. if you don’t you may end up eating Christmas cookies for a very long time. do the same with each one of your other lists what can you cross out. Some of the things that we think that we really need to do or go to or make or buy aren’t really necessary. I know they feel like it, they feel like it to me too. But you enjoy the Christmas season without stress means a lot of these things need to be cut. Be ruthless in cutting. Mary Poppins said, “enough is as good as a feast.” Do you have enough?
Enjoy
I want you to enjoy Christmas. I want you to enjoy Christmas without stress. Look at your list now with things crossed out. Now Planet time to do each thing. If your group like things together it will take a lot less time. Set up one time each week to do your online shopping. Set a time up to do several different cookie doughs you can make one after another in the same Bowl if you make the least flavored ones first and the chocolate ones last left. when you make one meal double it and put one in the freezer.
What do you do to enjoy Christmas without stress? please share your tips.
Christina Renee
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