10 Ways to Help You Stay Sane This Holiday Season

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10 Ways to Help You Stay Sane This Holiday Season | Duluth Moms BlogLet’s face it, the holiday season is one of the most loved, joyous times of the entire year. It’s also one of the most stressful. On top of everything else moms have to do, add on Christmas shopping, cooking, baking, bringing treats to school, work, buying all the gifts, wrapping, shipping to out of town guests, going to parties, planning a party, decorating, the list goes on and on. So here are my top 10 ways to stay sane, get it all done, and enjoy the holiday season. 

  1. Make a list. Just like Santa, make that list and check it twice. I recommend writing out everything you need to do, and add it to a calendar. There are tons of free printable calendars you can you if you aren’t a planner person. Here is my favorite place to print free calendar and planning downloads. 
  2. Make a plan. Add everything on your list to a calendar. Plan out when you are going to do each task on that list. You will feel a million times better when you have an actual plan in place. Schedule everything, even that trip to see lights. Sure, something will come up but then you simply readjust as you need. 
  3. Make a Christmas Gift Guide. Shopping is so much more enjoyable when you know what you are getting all of the people on your list. I always spend time writing out who I am buying for and any ideas I may have for them. I have my kids circle things in the toy catalogs that get delivered to the house. We also all go through the black Friday ads and get ideas there. It’s so hard to shop for someone when you don’t know what to get them. 
  4. Shop Online. Sorry retailers, but shopping online is such a huge timesaver. I do it as often as I can. If I know what someone wants, I immediately jump online and make that purchase right then.  This does 2 things: It keeps me from forgetting and it gets it done! 
  5. Create a wrapping station. Have a little gift wrap station set up somewhere in your home with all of the essentials. This could be as simple as a folding table set up in your bedroom. Get your paper, scissors, tape, ribbon, tags and bows all together in a basket and leave it there. Then you aren’t hauling it all out multiple times!10 Ways to Help You Stay Sane This Holiday Season | Duluth Moms Blog I like to wrap in front of the fireplace and watch Christmas movies! 
  6. Wrap gifts as you buy. When you come home from shopping plan out 30 minutes to wrap the gifts, then it’s not one huge task to do all at once on Christmas eve after you have hosted a dinner and the kids are finally asleep. If you buy online, wrap them as they arrive. 
  7. Don’t shop when everyone else does. No one likes to shop when the stores are crowded. Pick times when no one else is out. Weekdays are great, so are early mornings and late nights. I once got up at 6 am on a Saturday and was done shopping by 9, just as it was starting to get crazy! Stores open early and stay open late the closer it gets to Christmas, take advantage of that!! 
  8. Do your baking early. Many baked goods can be frozen, doughs can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Don’t save it all until the last minute, no one enjoys that! Plan your time out for baking, light a candle, turn on some Christmas music and enjoy the time together. Let the kids make a mess. Don’t let those little moments get lost in the perfection. 
  9. Plan your dinner and grocery shop ahead of time. Grocery shopping on December 23 is probably the worst thing you can do. So make that list now, but the canned good and all non-perishable items. Cross those things off of your Christmas dinner list. Buy the perishables as soon as you can and if you have to go shopping on the 23rd, do it early, get up at 6:00 and just get it done. You’ll have the store to yourself and you’ll be home by 7:00! With the entire day left to do whatever else was on your agenda. 
  10. Relax. Let yourself relax and enjoy the season. Watch movies on the couch, sip egg nog and just allow yourself some downtime. Don’t rush through the season, it already goes so fast. Plan one night each week to do something fun with the kids & simply enjoy the season together. The kids won’t remember how perfect things were, so give yourself some grace and just let things be. They will remember the time and the moments together and that’s what really matters!
    10 Ways to Help You Stay Sane This Holiday Season | Duluth Moms Blog
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Missy Luukkonen
I'm Missy, mom to 3 amazing boys! Austin (21), Nicholas (13) & Zachary (11). I was born and raised in Duluth, my entire family is still here as well. My husband is also from Duluth. We have 2 of the 3 boys at home and are both small business owners. My husband is in construction and I own a home decor craft business. I have recently decide to take a big jump and leave my amazing corporate job & I will be running my business full time starting Nov 3. I am excited and terrified all at the same time. I have run my business from my home for 7 years. I have seen amazing growth and transformation in this time frame and decided that it was no longer a good idea to work full time while trying to run a business. It was time to make a decision and I had to go with my passion. Life is too short for regret! I am looking forward to having my nights and weekends back and to spend more quality time with my friends and family. You can find some of Missy's creations here on her Instagram account or her etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/thelittlegreenbean