5 Ways to Embrace the Holidays With Simplicity

December 7, 2018
Written by:
Tasha Swearingen
Holidays

The holidays are fast approaching and, naturally, you may be feeling the pressure to get it all done in time before the end of the year. While this is traditionally supposed to be a time for families and friends to convene and make memories, let’s face it – it takes a lot of planning, preparing, and often results in stress. So how can you scale things down some to make it a bit simpler for yourself?

Simplicity During the Holidays

  1. Narrow it down. Take your to-do list and ask yourself whether everything on it is a “must do” or “would like to do.” Then, get rid of anything that isn’t a must-do item.
  2. Wrap it up! When it comes to Christmas wrapping, sometimes we end up a bit in over our heads. We end up piling more and more presents into the closet until, next thing we know, it’s December 24th and we have a mountain to wrap. Before you find yourself in this situation again, simply wrap presents as you go along.
  3. Pick up the phone. Instead of adding yet another heaping task to your to-do list (as if you need more to do!), cancel the plans to purchase Christmas cards and deliver a hand-written message in each. Christmas cards are even more of a burden if you have to make them from scratch because you’re crafty like that. Instead, pick up the phone, wish the person a Merry Christmas, catch up, and hang up. DONE!
  4. Finger foods. Another time-consuming task during the holidays is the big, often traditional, Christmas dinner. If you can bear to drop this tradition, go with finger foods! Much easier to put together and clean up will be a breeze!
  5. Scale down the decor. It’s always fun putting up holiday decorations! Some families even have traditions where they watch or listen to Christmas movies and music while decorating the house. The house looks great and everyone’s happy. That is until it’s time to take the decorations DOWN. Suddenly what once looked fabulous is now a huge insurmountable task. If you scale it down some when you’re decking the halls, it’ll be much easier to put away.

While the holidays are supposed to be a time of comfort, traditions, fun, and memory-making, it’s very easy for stress to creep in. By eliminating some of the triggers and simplifying things, you can come out much happier on the other side of the holidays!

#HOLIDAYS, #HOMESCHOOL HELP, #HOMESCHOOL RESOURCES

Tasha Swearingen

Tasha is a homeschooling mom to 5 and has been homeschooling for 14 years. Currently, her children's ages span from toddler to young adult. Tasha has a Bachelor's of Science degree in Social Sciences from Florida State University and is working on her MBA through SNHU/Berklee School of Music.