2019 is winding down and I'm over here in full baking, blogging, momming, wife-ing, homeschooling, church volunteering mode. Anyone else? Christmas is six days away and I have wrapped exactly zero presents. I pre-ordered our roast, which I have never attempted to cook prior to this. I have three orders due by Saturday. And a dance performance. And dance recital. And and and.
So, with just a few days left and so much to do, what can you do to have a stress free holiday week?
1. Ask For Help
This can be hard. Last night as I was slowly dying (not really, but ya know) I text my husband and laid it all out for him. He brought home dinner, made a juice delivery for me, got quarters for laundry, and orchestrated the kids while they picked up for me. He doesn't know this yet but he is helping with said laundry tonight. Sometimes we feel like we have to do it all, but there are people out there willing to help.
2. Make a list
This is my weakness and strength sometimes. I usually make lists while shopping but rarely do it for household things, errands, planning/scheduling, etc. I went to Walmart yesterday and got everything I needed. When I got home I realized that was missing an ingredient (from home, not the store). If I had checked what I needed before I left I would have seen that an ingredient disappeared. Luckily my neighbor took my kids for 20 minutes and I was able to run back to the store for the one thing. I have also needed to go to my storage unit for months to get stuff. Haven't done it because it isn't on a list that I can see. Make it and stick it in a visible place.
3. Be Okay Where Things Are
If the tree isn't perfect at this point, just be okay with it. If you didn't get every gift for every person, be okay with it. If you didn't get all 20 cookie varieties made for the neighborhood party, just be okay with it. It's too late to start planning and adding things to the list. Freeze and see what can just be left as-is. I started to get stressed thinking of gifts for my in-laws. I realized that since we aren't seeing them until the new year that I can post-pone the madness for a week and focus on what is in front of me.
4. Amazon
Let them save you. It's not too late for shipping. If you go in to a retail store right now you may lose your mind and spend an hour at checkout. That hour could be used in much better ways. We have a
gift giving guide with lots from Amazon, check it out. Decision overload is real. This is not an ad, I just have had tons sent in the past couple of days and it has taken a lot of my plate.
5. Get Sleep
It sounds hard when we are in crunch time to schedule in enough sleep. Take it from this baggy-eyed mama, you need the sleep. When you are well rested the to-do list doesn't seem so hard, you don't reach for as much caffeine, your patience doesn't wear down as quickly, and you can conquer the day.
6. Make a Schedule
This can help with the lists you've been making as well, it helps to see where you need to be and when. Mark how long it will take to get things done (cooking, baking, wrapping, travel, etc) so that you can get it scheduled properly and you feel like you have enough time. I keep thinking everything needs to be done right now, but in reality I have time to bake for friends next week, wrap presents on Christmas Eve, etc.
If you use these six tips you can feel confident in your plans and time over the next couple of weeks. It is a happy time of year and the added stress is not necessary. Sometimes we pile it on ourselves but hopefully with some thought and reflection it can be minimized so we can enjoy all the festivities.
Hope this helps,
B&R
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