Want a Stress-Free Christmas?

It's not too late. You can still do it. You can have a stress-free Christmas.

By spending time each day this week on Christmas, you can be ready to relax and enjoy the fun for the three weeks preceding Christmas.

Are you ready? Let's go!

12/2 - Sit down with your favorite Christmas beverage and make a list of who you want to buy gifts for, what you want to buy, and how much you want to spend. If it's on your phone - great! - you'll have it with you at all times. If it's on paper - awesome! - fold it up and put it in your purse.

12/3 - Time to go shopping. Yes, I know it's a Saturday. The stores will be crowded, the mall will be packed. That's just the reality of preparing for Christmas in December. Next year you'll be done with all of this by Thanksgiving, so this is the last year you have to endure the craziness! Take a few minutes before heading out the door to look over the list you made yesterday. Try to plan your day to get as many gifts as possible in the same location. You can do it!

12/4 - Today is baking day. Don't overwhelm yourself. Choose three of your favorite traditional holiday goodies and prepare them. If your family has a tendency to eat them up quickly, freeze half of them or hide them in your pantry so they last the entire holiday season.

 12/5 - Take time today to put your tree up and decorate the interior of your house. Again, just put out the decor that you really like. It's ok to leave some decor in the boxes. You can bring those pieces out next year when you have more time to decorate.
  12/6 - Now that your tree is up, it's time to wrap the gifts. I have learned over the years that although I want the gifts to be wrapped in awesome, never~before~seen~at~my~house styles, the recipients could care less what the gifts look like. Some of my kids don't even use bows/ribbons on the gifts for their families. Don't stress about what the gift wrap looks like.

12/7 - Today is the day to wrap up the loose ends you haven't gotten to. If you normally send Christmas cards, why not try something different this year? In this day of technology, it's perfectly acceptable to send e-cards or e-mails. I've even received cute text Christmas greetings. Save the cards for next year.

12/8 - Pat yourself on the back. You're ready for Christmas. You may not be doing everything you normally do each year, but that's ok. It's good to shake things up from time to time. The most important thing is that you're ready to enjoy the activities, concerts, school programs, and family fun that's about to happen this season.

Congratulations! I'm proud of you. You're ready for a stress-free Holiday!