having a stress free holiday season

How to Have a Stress Free Holiday Season – 5 Important Tips

Ahhhh, the holidays are upon us—the time of joy, merriment, and bliss. But, somehow stress always finds a way into our homes, usually thanks to rushed shopping, hasty store trips, and last-minute meal preps.

However, there are ways you can manage the holiday stress, especially if you make a good plan, start preparation in advance and set your priorities straight.

How to Have a Stress Free Holiday Season

Here’s how to trade stress for enjoyment!

Start Preparations In Time

Model Near Christmas Tree

If you want to welcome holidays with a happy and stress-free heart, the best thing you can do is start your prep in time. There are things you can do well before the merry season starts like buying gifts, picking out cards and planning your Christmas dinner menu.

For instance, you can pick out presents, wrap them and stack them in a safe place until unwrapping time.

However, add ribbons, bows, and tags later, so they don’t get damaged in storage. Shopping for holiday cards can also be done early. If you wait too long, you risk ending up with a huge assortment of Valentine’s cards and only a few Christmas ones to choose from!

Stock Up On Necessities

Did you ever start baking and you noticed you don’t have a food scale, or you’ve forgotten to buy yeast for your pastries? This often results in last-minute store trips that can waste a lot of time (especially right before a big holiday) and result in tons of stress.

So, prevent those annoying grocery trips and stock up on basics like butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, yeast, and extracts.

However, make sure to leave your shopping for early in the morning on a workday. This way, you’ll avoid the evening-workday rush and weekend crowds that can prolong your shopping and wreck your nerves.

Ask for Help

Organizing a big Christmas dinner or a New Year’s party can take a serious toll on your mental and physical health, so don’t try to do everything yourself. Instead, state on your invites that guests are free to bring a dish or a bottle of drink.

Another thing you can try this year to spare yourself a lot of work is to hire caterers! People from big cities like New York already know about this trick, but now it’s picking up all over the world.

Professional cooks can provide you with different types of foods from appetizers to desserts, and professional servers can serve all that!

Of course, tasty cocktails are a must for every big event. Luckily, you can find a great mixologist in NYC who will wow your guests with their long cocktail list and mixing skills. All the ingredients they use are high-quality and fresh, and they often use house-made tinctures that ensure the best taste for your party. Professionals always deliver!

Clean Up Before Guests Arrive

One of the most stressful things when it comes to holidays is cleaning! If you leave all your chores for the last minute, you can expect to feel overwhelmed and exhausted.

So, instead of giving yourself and your family sore muscles and cleaning headaches, start in time.

Of course, vacuuming and floor wiping will need to be done the day before your party, but you can prep the guest’s room in advance, make space in the fridge for food and drinks and relocate your coats so that guests have a place to hang their winter wear.

Rethink Your Decoration

Model nera Christmas Tree

Sure, having a floor-to-ceiling Christmas tree and a house covered in fairy lights looks super dreamy, but setting everything up can be nerve-wracking and pretty expensive. So, unless you’re ready to bear the stress of complicated decoration, don’t underestimate minimalism!

For instance, you can get several little evergreens, arrange them around the house and achieve an amazing effect (plus, you can plant them in your backyard after the holidays).

You can also opt for natural decoration like simple wreaths, reclaimed wood table centerpieces, and timeless candles. Decoration like this will cost you very little money, time and effort, but provide you with trendy and chic aesthetics.

Lastly, think about making your own handmade crafts as decorations! They might take a bit of extra time, but you can certainly impress your guests with your own creations!

Concluding Thoughts – Having a Stress Free Holiday Season

None of these tips require too much work and money, so there are zero excuses not to implement them this year. If these tips don’t help, you can always turn to some natural stress relief aids as well.

There will be more holiday cheer and fewer nervous breakdowns!

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