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The holiday season can be a stressful and chaotic time for any family.  There are so many additional obligations and tasks to complete with no extra hours added to the day.  If we allow ourselves to be caught without a plan, we will face a new year deeper in debt, exhausted and wondering where the last quarter of the year went.  But, there is hope!  Creating a plan for your family to navigate the holiday season will free you to enjoy the festivities and activities available this time of the year.

Here are a few tips to decrease holiday stress while helping your family be organized and prepared.

• Start early.  This is so important! Do you ever see an item in March and think “oh, that would be a great gift for so and so”?  That is when you should buy it!  Set aside an area in your home (I use two shelves in a linen closet) to stash gifts away until the holiday.  This saves so much time and last-minute impulse buying as the holidays approach!  Also, you can take advantage of back to school and out of season sales to purchase gifts for people, thus stretching your budget further.
• Make Holiday To-Do lists.  These lists can include gift lists, holiday card lists, a budget, etc.  Having all the information you need in one place is crucial to staying organized, especially during a hectic time.  When you do go out shopping make a list of people you are buying for, their likes/dislikes, their sizes (if applicable) and even their favorite color.  Anything that will keep you from getting stuck not having any idea what to buy for someone.  Isn’t that how we all end up with slipper socks under the tree?
• Simplify.  Wherever you can, choose the easy route!  Wrap as you buy, ship as you buy.  Shopping on the internet or via catalog can streamline the process by saving you time and energy that can be spent on other things.  Resist the temptation to throw elaborate parties.  Instead, host a cookie or ornament swap.
• Schedule time for the things you enjoy.  Sometimes life can get hectic during this season and we end up wishing we had attended a Christmas Eve service or had time to make a gingerbread house with the kids.  Whatever brings you joy during the holidays, write it into your schedule. Prioritize and remember that it is okay to decline invitations and say “no” to things that aren’t congruent with your families preferences and priorities. Don’t let the good things slip through the cracks because of busyness.
• Give back.  There is no better way to feel the true spirit of Christmas than to give to others.  This does not just mean financially.  How about a smile for the bell-ringer at the Salvation Army, even if you don’t have spare change?  Holding a door for the mama behind you at the department store?  Baking cookies for the grumpy neighbor next door? It is the little things that will warm your heart and theirs during the holidays.

The holidays should be a time of creating memories and enjoying family traditions.  For a simple Christmas, focus on what is important –faith, family, friends and tradition by staying organized, having a plan and starting your shopping early.