The holidays are full of joy and fun that are all usually planned and executed by US, the parents. We work hard to give our kids a magical experience often times at the expense of our sleep and sometimes sanity. It is not uncommon to become overwhelmed during the holidays. I want to let you in on a little secret, they don’t care if the Elf is not in a floating balloon or another out of the ordinary design or the tree doesn’t have 50 ornaments or even if they don’t have time to make cookies from scratch and decorate Gingerbread houses. The most important thing is what you instill in them.
My happiest memories are the time I spent with my parents and little sister. Waking up to the smell of my mom making breakfast and Christmas dinner, my dad sitting on the couch with the camera taking pictures of my sister and I as we opened our gifts and my sister being so excited just to open her gifts on her side of the tree. The memories of being together are forever etched in my mind.
You make your own traditions and memories. Don’t stretch yourself thin trying to deliver this over-the-top experience that honestly your kids won’t even really pay attention to. Incorporate them into the Christmas decorating process so they can enjoy the family time. Don’t fret if its 12 candy canes on one branch (lol), it still will be beautiful. The goal is to not stress, just do what works best for your household. Don’t try to mimic anyone else’s traditions or activities but do what you think is best for your kiddos.
Stress during the holidays typically comes from envisioning things a certain way and either killing yourself trying to make everything perfect or things aren’t going the way you envision, and you are freaking out. No matter what is causing the stressing just know that NOTHING IS PERFECT! Learn to roll with the punches and be adaptable.
Tips to Limiting Stress During the Holidays
1. Be okay with things not turning out exactly out you want.
2. Plan ahead, doing things last minute often causes stress.
3. Delegate, you don’t have to do everything yourself. If you can get help from others in the household or someone you trust to get the job done.
4. Shop online. Get the stuff shipped it sometimes can make life easier but make sure you do it early in case there are shipping delays or issues.
5. Don’t plan too many activities. You don’t have do a new activity every day.
6. Learn to say NO, you can’t do everything set a realistic timeframe for yourself.
7. Breath, everything will be fine trust me and have a little fun!
Enjoy your holiday!!
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