No one loves the holidays more than I do. In fact, come Halloween, I officially consider it holiday season. For me, there is nothing better than the magic of Christmastime. I have so many wonderful memories of celebrating Christmas as a young girl that being able to recreate those memories with my own daughter is so special. As many parents can relate to, however, the holidays can turn into a lot of work.
I’m a busy mom to a 4-year-old girl, and I work from home. Things can be crazy in general but can become especially wild during the holidays with all the “pressure” to make sure everything is perfect. Shopping for the perfect presents, making sure the house is spic and span when family and friends come over, decorating, cooking, family drama … you get what I mean.
The holidays are a time for magic and joy. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I often find that during the holidays I can lose track of time and the days go very quickly. Especially if the kids are home from school, it can be easy to forget what day it is, and all of a sudden things just become a mess and you will have forgotten to do A, B, C, and D. That’s why I make sure to have a set schedule for the holidays.
I know, I know. Some people might think that by planning everything out, maybe you lose some of the fun and spontaneity. But let me tell you, the holidays can be overwhelming, and I mean that in a good way. Every year I want to make sure my family gets everything Christmas-related done, and by scheduling everything, we make sure we do. It gives us a way to plan a schedule that we stick to but in a fun way. Here’s how it works.
Set the schedule with your family.
Sit down with your family before the holiday season begins. Make sure EVERYONE participates. That means your husband and the kids, big and small. Be certain everyone talks about things that they want to do during the holidays such as trips to the in-laws' for a tree decorating party, caroling with friends, a trip to the ice rink – you name it.
Then think of a fun way to actually set up a schedule that everyone can visualize. Maybe you can put it on a chalk board in the living room or an eraser board on the refrigerator. That way, everyone has access to see it and to change it.
Schedule EVERYTHING.
When I say everything, I mean everything, including nights at home. If you want to make sure you get everything done, then you have to make time for it. Set a day (or days) to shop for gifts and a time to wrap all of the gifts. If you know you need to wrap the gifts when the kids are out of the house, keep that in mind and maybe schedule a time for your husband to take them ice skating while you stay at home and blast Christmas music while wrapping those presents.
Don’t forget to schedule the evenings that you will be home as well.
Decide what’s important.
This is crucial. If there are things you don’t want to do, don’t do them. If that means you’re invited to a holiday party but just don’t feel like accepting the invite for whatever reason, don’t. If you don’t want to go to a family dinner, don’t. Yes, the holidays are sometimes about making other people happy, especially those closest to us, but not at the expense of your well-being.
Schedule nights at home.
Yes, it’s easy to think that because you’re planning a night at home that it doesn’t need to go on the schedule.
WRONG!
Even nights at home deserve a time on the calendar. So yes, that means if you’re planning a Christmas movie marathon or a house decorating party, make sure it gets it a spot on the schedule.
Leave room for some spontaneity.
Yes, I realize this contradicts everything I have been saying, but we do want to leave some room for flexibility— especially because of potential changes in the weather and, of course, the threat of young kids coming down with colds.
If one night you are scheduled to go to town to look at decorations but it’s raining, maybe it's best to switch to one of the fun nights you had planned at home. Or if the weather is really nice but you were planning a movie night, take advantage of the conditions outside and go out.
And more importantly, if one night you just feel like doing something off schedule that just presented itself, such as a last-minute invite to a friend's Christmas party, then do that.
What should you schedule?
Of course, this is all up to you. If you’re like me, you will want to do it all! Schedule time for gift shopping, food shopping for Christmas Eve or Christmas dinner, cooking parties, movie nights, nights at home to decorate the tree, holiday concerts, cookie decorating, walking around to look at holiday lights — you name it. This is where you get to decide.
But more than anything, enjoy the holidays and all the joy they bring to you and your family!
