6 Tips for Keeping the Holiday Spirit During this Hectic Season

By now, you are probably in the thick of the Christmas season – shopping, baking, planning special dinner, figuring out logistics, going to parties, finishing holiday cards…have you taken a breath yet?

Christmas comes at the same time every year and yet, it always seems to sneak up on us – how is that? Intuitive consultant Jessica Derksen, owner of the organizers, has some fantastic tips to help make this season bright and memorable instead of one you’re ready to forget!

Her motto is always this:

KEEP IT SUPER SIMPLE!

Keep in mind what is really important to you. 

Imagine what a stress free holiday looks like to you. 

Simplify to achieve your image, and

Sing, smile, and take in the scents.

Here are her top tips for helping make for stress-free holidays:

Figure out what is really important to you this year. Is it spending time at home with just your immediate family? Or having everyone over with all the fixings and trimmings? Or something in between?

Are there things you want to do outside or inside you need to prepare for? What events are you going to attend because you WANT to, not because you have to?

What are your MUSTS? Are all those old traditions enjoyable or a pain? Have you wanted to start a new tradition but haven’t because too many other things are going on?

Derksen says to think about if only one or two “things” could happen, what would you want them to be? She says to make a list and rank it – numerically, color-coded, something to help you figure out what order you would like to do things in and what you can live without.

Image what the holidays would look like if they were stress-free.  What does that look like to you? How does it feel to you? How does your family look and feel? Derksen says visualization is very important – if you want it and can see it, you can have it. Take a few minutes and really think about what you are hoping for.

Simplify…how do we do that? Derksen advises:

•  Break each event into bite size pieces.
• Schedule – from shopping for gifts and groceries to setting out the dinning ware.
• Delegate – for example, delegate the cooking and cleaning to a restaurant, your girlfriend, or sister-in-law
• Think outside the box.
• Use the buddy system – who likes to decorate? Who likes to clean? What can you do for “her” in exchange? Play date? Wrap gifts?
• Feel free to sing along, smile at those around you, fill your lungs with the scents of the season. She suggests playing music and lighting candles to enjoy the scents

“No” is a complete sentence. ‘Nuff said. She also advises checking the guilt at the door. The season is for you too, not just all the other people you are doing things for.

Host a gift wrap party. This is an especially great idea if you dread wrapping. Make it like a pot-luck. Someone bring the bows, someone else brings the tissue. Or make it like a cookie/white elephant gift exchange. Everyone brings what they have, everyone gets to use everyone else’s, and at the end of the night, you can take home the same amount that you brought… if there is anything left.

One last hint Derksen offers is to jot down one or two highlights in your calendar each month throughout the year. Then when it comes time to write your annual holiday letter, you don’t have to strain to think of all the events from the past 12 months. This also helps jog your memory for scrapbooking too!

I hope these tips help things go a little smoother. If you need some extra special tips for your holiday baking, please check out this past article from Derksen too. For more hints and tips, please check out Derksen’s website at www.theorganizers.biz. Happy Holidays!