5 Ways to Avoid Holiday Headspin

The holidays should be a time of joy and laughter, friends and loved ones, hot cocoa and caroling. Unfortunately, all too often the feelings we indulge in most during the holiday season are more along the lines of pressure, stress, and a hurried panic.

"My least favorite part of the holiday season is feeling like I'm being rushed and feeling like other people are rushed too." Remarks Jessica Jarnagin of Chandler, AZ "I want to be able to enjoy the festivities with my family and friends, so the less stress and worry I have, the better."

With all of the dinners, parties, gifts, and ‘fun’ of the holiday season, it can sometimes feel like the only solution is to bury your head in the sand until mid-January, but there are ways to reduce the stress and have a peaceful holiday season.

Plan Ahead

"Organization is essential." Counsels Lindsay Vardalos of Salem, Oregon. "I try to make lists and know what I want to accomplish on what day in order to help everything move smoother and less stressful."

Set up a personal planning session before the rush begins and put together a notebook including menus for meals, gifts lists detailing what you need to purchase for everyone on your list, and guest lists for parties or dinners. Have another planning session with your family to make sure that their gift lists for teachers, friends and co-workers are included on your list.

Locate and take inventory of decorations wrapping paper and supplies and make a list of needed materials.

Create shopping lists from your menus and shop for any non-perishable food items on your list and if time permits prepare dishes in advance to be frozen and heated up for holiday meals.

Shop online

With clear lists of everything you need for the holidays, shopping should be a cinch, right? Wrong! Shopping at Christmastime is one of those things nightmares are made of. Sunadda Woodbury of Carson City, NV echoes a common sentiment among holiday shoppers. "Crowds in the store and the mere sight of the Wal-Mart parking lot just about sends me into a massive panic attack!"

Here’s where your internet savvy comes in handy.

Shopping online is quickly becoming the preferred method of gift shopping for all kinds of people. A quick Google search can turn up countless websites selling exactly what you are looking for and competing price-wise for your business. Many online stores also offer shipping deals when you spend over a certain dollar amount at their site.

Aside from being able to knock out your Christmas list in your pajamas and avoiding the chaos of the mall, online shopping also allows you to find something unique that matches the personality of the person you are shopping for. Ten minutes with a keyboard and a mouse can turn up unique, customizable treasures that may take weeks and dozens of phone calls to find locally.

Coordinate

"I have to be there in five minutes with 36 Christmas cookies." Is probably the last thing you want to hear from you children at 5pm on a Friday night-- but if you haven’t yet, it’s coming. One major contributing factor to, what I call, Holiday Headspin is lack of communication amongst the family in the scheduling department.

"My family and I sit down at the beginning of the holidays and decide what is
important and put it on the calendar." Jarnagin says. "If it doesn't get on the calendar, it doesn't get done." Scheduling a family meeting each Sunday night to calendar coordinate is a proactive way to nip this problem in the bud. (Although, occasionally fishing through your kids backpacks for any calendars or reminder flyers may not be a bad idea either)

Christmas Cards

The best streamlining too for your holiday correspondence is your computer. Cut and paste addresses of all of your friends, family, co-workers…whoever, from your files or internet listings into a database on your computer. This way you have a list of all of your potential card recipients in one place. Once you have this list narrowed down let your printer do the tedious envelope for you. You an even download a fun font to liven things up, change the font color, or use cute envelopes.

If your Christmas cards or letters seem like too much to manage… Delegate.

"Our daughter, Alana has been our designated family newsletter writer for the past two years, and she'll have the job indefinitely." Says Woodbury. "Isn’t it wonderful?" If your kids aren’t up to putting together a full blown newsletter, have them draw pictures, or sign cards with handprints. Your children may have ideas of their own if you ask.

Keep It Simple

By planning ahead and mapping out your holiday months it is becomes easier to prioritize events and eliminate unnecessary obligations. Don’t get bogged down in all the "must do’s" or let the hustle and bustle of the season turn your families lives upside down. Woodbury notes, "Some things have to be absolutely 'sacred' (untouchable) like family dinner time together…" Remember the reason for the season and make your peace of mind a priority.