How to Fix Holiday Glitches
As holidays approach, we’re thinking of twinkling lights and not last year’s dry stuffing. Even worse, last year we may have spent much time preparing, yet not feeling that holiday joy. Heading into the holidays is the best time to think about the big picture of the holiday season. It’s time to assess what worked and what did not.
Here’s some oops moments that may have happened to you last year. There’s solutions for you to fix these holiday glitches.
| Oops! | Holiday cure! |
| There’s so much to do for each holiday. | Set aside a planning time in early October. It’s a meeting for you, your list and your planner. |
| There’s so many activities and events every night during the holidays. You booked 2 events on the same evening. | Start early with your holiday planner and calendar. Enter every date as you receive each invitation. |
| You wanted to send holiday cards and you need a family photo and your address list updated. | Use a family photo taken during the year. Use multiple photos of faces only. Update your address list as new holiday cards arrive. |
| You need to decorate the house and your family is busy with school, sports and choir. | Downsize your decorating. Decide if your decorating should be a single tree, indoor decorations only, or another smaller effort this year. |
| You purchased too many items on Amazon and don’t know what your purchased are or for whom you purchased. | Open all the boxes and create an inventory of your purchases. Assign names with post it notes on each item. Assess if you have enough by setting a budget or a number of gifts. |
| There’s so much to wrap and you must bake, go to church and other things to do. | Pay a neighborhood teen or grandkid to be your holiday wrapper. |
| You want to go to the cookie swap and you need to bake 12 dozen cookies. When do you have the time for that? | Through social media, ask for referrals of local bakers, crafters or other small businesses to help you. |
| The holidays fly by and you feel you have not enjoyed the time together as a family. | Host a family meeting with everyone sharing what’s most important to them to celebrate the season. Share what’s most important to you and set aside time for this. |
As you prepare for this year’s holiday season, keep in mind your level of planning and organization. Balance your investment in time with your joy for the outcome of that investment. It will lead you to a happier holiday season.
I love the whole spirit of this post. The holidays can feel like a part-time job, but we need to get away from the idea that we have to do everything “right” in order to have a positive experience. I always tell clients, “You don’t need to do everything, every year.” Maybe one year you are all too busy to go cut down a giant tree. That’s fine! Pick the traditions that everyone is excited about THIS year, and do those. Everyone will be happy to have some time to relax.
People put a lot of pressure on themselves during the holidays. The planning piece is vital and also setting some boundaries around the invites. You don’t have to attend ALL parties or say “yes” to all the invites. If you have too many social engagements, it will cause undue stress. Instead, pace yourself. That way you’ll enjoy the events you DO attend. When we’re hosting, there are always a lot of things to do to prepare. I focus on the process of baking, food shopping, meal planning, and thinking about the house about to be full of loved ones. And on the day of the event, I opening accept offers of help and make sure to enjoy our family and friends being in our home. I also do my best to let go of any expectations and instead try to provide a relaxed environment for everyone to connect and enjoy one another’s company.
Thanks @Linda! Yes, the pressure is too much and we need to think big picture of what we truly want our experience to be at the holidays!
@Seana – truly you are on traget on what we expect of ourselves. I love that our families can choose the one most important thing and celebrate joyfully!