Does the holiday season always seem to sneak up on you, leaving you feeling like there’s just too much to do? You’re not alone. So many moms feel the overwhelm that holiday responsibilities can bring! That’s why I wanted to write this post. My hope is that this post can be a guide to help you enjoy the holidays stress-free and you can enjoy what truly matters most to you ☺️.

Start Small and Simplify

Feeling the need to do it all and do it well is a recipe for burn-out. Solution…. focus on only a few meaningful traditions or tasks.

A great thing to do is sit as a family and decide what matters most. By getting everyone’s input, you can ensure that those traditions or tasks that mean the most to each person can be included. And then, let the rest go.

Once those things are decided upon, take out your calendar and place each of those things onto it to be sure that they do happen. This action will also help with the second step as you will see😉.

A tradition that is prioritized in my family is decorating the Christmas tree altogether. We pick an afternoon that everyone is free (which is not an easy task as of late with a daughter who is married with 2 children, a son who plays hockey the next state over and the youngest involved with competitive gymnastics! But we make it work!), turn on some Christmas music and get to decorating. This is one of my favorite traditions. It’s simple and sweet to just be with each other and enjoy the time as we decorate.

Set Boundaries

Overcommitting yourself and your family to too many events and obligations drains your energy and your joy! You’ve got to be able to say no firmly and politely. A simple “we’d love to, but we’re keeping things low-key this year” will work great. And bonus, you’ve already put those traditions and things that are important to your family on the calendar so it will be easy to know what you have time for, and what you won’t.

Please remember, it is OKAY to protect your time and energy! You are not being selfish looking after yourself and your family. I know this can be a hard one for some moms to be able to carry out but trust me, you will be so happy you did when Christmas is over, and you were able to have the energy to enjoy the things that matter to you ❤️.

Prep Early to Save Your sanity

Saving tasks, especially if it’s many tasks, till the last-minute creates unnecessary stress. Planning ahead, even when we are not in the throes of the holiday season, will ALWAYS be helpful to you.

A few specific examples:

·       Set up a gift-wrapping station (and wrap the gifts as they come in!)

·       Prep holiday meals or treats in advance

·       Write a checklist of all the things you need to do and tackle one or a few per day

Prepping food ahead is always something I do. If I know that attending a holiday party will bring us home close to dinner time, I make sure that I have a meal planned and I have all the ingredients already in the house. Bonus if I can come up with a casserole that I can put together and have ready in the fridge, but that doesn’t always happen. This has saved us money by not going through drive through and it also keeps us from getting home and then figuring out what to eat, which just prolongs the time before dinner is done and possibly having some hungry attitudes pop up.

Embrace Imperfection

Chasing perfection steals your joy…. ask me how I know 🫠. As a recovering perfectionist, this one was the hardest for me to learn. But truly, if you focus on creating memories rather than meeting unrealistic expectations, you’re going to be so much happier!

Decorating those Christmas cookies with your toddler or your grandchildren will feel so memorable when you focus on the action instead of the mess created or the gingerbread cookies that don’t even look like gingerbread man. Or that super simple dinner with your family that you ate from paper plates because it allowed all of you to spend more time talking instead of cleaning up. Don’t let perfection steal the joy out of your moments.

Remember, your family doesn’t need “perfect”, they need present ☺️

The holiday season is meant to be a time of joy, love, and togetherness—not endless stress and exhaustion. By focusing on what truly matters, protecting your time, and letting go of perfection, you can create a holiday that feels peaceful and fulfilling. Remember, your family won’t remember how perfectly everything was done, but they will remember how present and joyful you were. This year, give yourself the gift of simplicity and savor the moments that matter most. You deserve a holiday season that brings you as much joy as you give to those around you.

Wishing you a holiday season filled with joy and peace ❤️