9 Ways to Gift Yourself a Peaceful Holiday Season

It’s Nov 1st which means it’s officially holiday season. I’m hoping to get my house decorated by Sunday for Christmas (yes, I’m that annoying person) and soon it’ll be Thanksgiving and then whatever holidays you celebrate during the remainder of the holiday season! Whether those are religious celebrations or just more about spending time with family for you, one thing is clear- it’s supposed to be a time of peace, joy, and service. Too often, however, the Holiday season is characterized by stress, busyness, and debt. This turns this time of year into a dreaded time, not only for the parents, but for the kids. While excited for the holidays, the stress can take a lot of the joy out of it for them and I think we can all agree, that’s the opposite of what we want! And for us, we all know stress isn’t good for us mentally or physically and the Holidays are one of those times that has so much unneeded stress.

So what do we do? Here are a few tips we use to try to minimize stress

1. Decorate early. We decorate Nov 1st. This year, we got a little excited and started earlier (which may bug you, but to each his own 😉). This obviously is not necessary for everyone, but it is extremely helpful for us. Why? Because we like to go all out and decorate as much as we can. Doing this early for a few days allows us to have it decorated the way we like and gets us in the holiday spirit instead of adding to stress and rush after thanksgiving. That being said, while we love the house completely decked out, we are on a tight budget. We get lots of our decorations at the dollar store. At Home has great pre-black Friday deals right now on decorations (50 ornaments for $4 here! Not an ad!) and we always get a few fun accent live things (mini wreaths or trees) at Trader Joe’s for a great price!
2. Make a list, budget, check it twice and shop online! Instead of going to the store, browsing, etc. to find what your loved ones would like, make a list, a budget, and set aside some time each day to online shop to get everyone’s gifts. Shopping online allows you to not lose track of how much you’re spending, can help eliminate impulse purchases, and saves time.
3. Wrap presents as soon as they come. I learned this from one of the most organized people on the planet who I nannied for! I LOVED learning from her! She would have me begin wrapping in a October (she had a big family!) what she had so far and then put it under the tree. Christmas wasn’t a mad rush because she started early and wrapped as she went. I adopted this method and loved the calmness it added to the season. It also helps not to go over budget because once you’ve found and wrapped something, you’re done for that person and can stop shopping!
4. Make a budget and stick to it. I mentioned this before, but don’t go into debt or a bad financial situation just to show people you love them or just to make your house feel Christmasy. Remember there is nothing wrong with homemade gifts. I’ll do a roundup on some of my favorites!
5. Move xmas! Obviously kidding, but seriously, pick a day that xmas shopping, etc. has to be done and stick to it. Even if you find something your loved ones would like, if you’ve already gotten their gift and met your budget, pass and remember experiences>things. The experience of a peaceful, calm holiday, in my opinion is far better than any gift could be.
6. Simplify. Make a list of everything that stresses you out over the season and eliminate or find a solution. Decorating stress you out? Don’t do it! Or if you have means and want it decorated, hire someone. What stresses me out is the guilt and obligation of feeling that I want to be at all the events for ALL the people I love and the complete terror at hurting anyone’s feelings by skipping out. I can’t skip everything the holiday season (extreme introvert here), but I can find solutions to still make those I love feel attendee to while not running myself ragged or feeling starved for family time. More on that below
7. Calendar. Make a list of all you want to do this year with your family, friends, and just for yourself. Write down who and how you’d like to serve or if you’re not sure, schedule the time to serve, etc. everyone seems to want to squeeze all these events in the 4-8 weeks of Nov-December. Often these events are on the weekend. This means there are 8 weekends for events. To add to that, people often like to squeeze all the events in in December before Christmas which means there are only 3 1/2 weeks to squeeze these in or 3 weekends. In this time, you also need time with your family. My goal this year is to first plan time with hubby and LO, next extended family (if it can work with our schedule), next friends. It may leave us with attending hardly any events, but who says if you love someone, you must be with them from Nov-Dec? Some events may need to be in January or even February and that’s okay. You have to make sure your cup is full if you want to have anything to give and that’s not something that should bring you guilt. I’m tired of either feeling stressed because we have no time as a family or ridden with guilt and nervousness over hurting feelings by turning down events. My theme for this season is to make sure my little family has the time we need to feel connected and calm and our cups are full, after that expressing my love and wishes that I could attend more but trusting those who love me will understand and those who don’t understand, recognizing I can’t control their emotions.
8. Self care. Self care for me during this season looks like walks while I listen to books, prayer, scripture, naps when hubby is home to watch LO, yoga, healthy eating, good hydration, and nutrient dense breakfast, lunch and dinner, so my body has what it needs so I can enjoy the Xmas treats and snacks without sacrificing nutrients, etc. Practicing self- care will help keep your immune system strong and reduce stress which also helps the immune system.
9. Ignore the influencers! Starting now everyone will be trying to sell you something. I will share what I like for those looking for something, but I NEVER want you to buy something you don’t need or can’t afford and I will never pressure you that you can’t live without this product, etc. If you aren’t feeling you can resist all the sales, don’t enter a mall (after you’ve shopped online), mute the salesy influencers just for the season (or after too if you need!) and avoid any place you feasibly can of financial temptation

Above all, remember your reason for the season. Mine is celebrating Christ’s birth, spending time with my family, and helping those in need (to me, that’s the most important part of the season). Stress, pressure, guilt, and debt have no place in this season for me. All I want is peace and calm. Happy Holidays and may you make it what you need it to be!