Holiday Stress Buster: Planning
Makes Perfect
Mary Gardner
helps you with some planning tips. I especially like her
idea about taking the kids to a hotel for pictures!
Planning for the Holidays
By Mary Gardner
If you've been to any
store lately you've seen that the holiday decorations
have hit the stores. It’s the time of year that puts
everyone in a good mood until the time that the family
arrives on your doorstep. Then of course, the rush is on
to get it all done in time. If you're anything like me
and my family, there are always last minute trips to the
store to get everything that is needed for the dinner
and the delivery of presents.
Now is the time to plan out your whole event. You should
know now whether you are traveling to a relatives’ for
the holiday or even just for dinner. It’s a good time to
start planning your menu’s and your presents for the
people on your list.
Here are a few things to make your holidays run a bit
smoother:
1. Write a list of each person who is to receive
a present. If you need to
draw names, make it happen via email this week. Then
select a budget for each person and draw the cash out
and put it in envelopes. Make a vow to stay within the
budget you've set.
2. Start by perusing the catalogs.
It’s an easier way to shop. There are so many catalogs
on line now so shopping on line will help you stay away
from that crazy holiday rush.
3. Shopping in one place certainly saves time,
and places like TJ MAX and Marshalls are old favorites
and do carry affordable items for the whole family.
4. Once you've gotten the shopping done, it’s time to
start the decorating.
I usually purchase a few magazines specifically for the
holidays and do one art project that will last. It’s
been fun to see my projects through the years that took
a day to make, but have been in our family for years. If
you're "crafty" enough, then these items make excellent
gifts for your friends and neighbors. Presents like
pinecone wreaths or candle covers are easy, fun to make
and last for years.
5. Next, comes the cooking!
This is the one that
seems like it should wait, but in realty it’s a great
time to start right now! We still have a few weekends
before Thanksgiving and those early Saturday mornings
are a great time to bake up and decorate holiday cookies
and bars. In addition, homemade jellies and jams make
excellent holiday gifts to share. My personal favorite
is Hot Jezebel. I make it with pineapple and apricot
jelly, horseradish, dry mustard and black pepper. It is
delicious on top of cream cheese with crackers. Put in a
cute jar, with a box of crackers, the recipe in a basket
makes an affordable and delicious gift.
6. Get your kids dressed and head to the nearest
hotel lobby for a beautiful holiday picture!
Sure, you can go to a
studio and spend upwards of $100, or you can get dressed
and go to a nice hotel where you can take a picture that
is classy and will impress your friends! Get them
printed at Walmart and you're good to go for your
holiday newsletter and card!
7. Last but not least, understand that the
holidays are some of the most stressful times of the
year. If you have a
family and are traveling or entertaining, you need to
schedule some time for relaxing without doing anything.
Book your manicure ahead of time or a fun cookie
exchange evening out with the gals in advance.
Then kick back and enjoy the time this year. If you plan
ahead this year, like you SAID you would last year,
you'll be able to relax and enjoy the holidays creating
memories, instead of stress!
Mary Gardner is a Lifestyles Consultant and
communications coach and can be reached at
http://www.marygardner.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/
Holiday Stress Info
Holiday Decorating Ideas
Gift Ideas
Entertaining Tips
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