Stress Free Holidays Series Part 12:
Getting Ready For Christmas - It's Almost Here
Below are the tasks you should do this week for getting ready for Christmas, so you can experience less stress now and when Christmas day arrives.
Christmas is almost here, and my
Stress Free Holidays series is almost at an end.
Just like the last several weeks, everything we are doing this week relates to Christmas preparation, since it is coming soon. I know my kids and I are both excited!
Plan Activities For The Kids While They Are On Winter Break
By now, or soon perhaps, your kids will be out of school for winter break and will be at home all day.
To keep this time of year fun treat it like you would a mini summer vacation, and get into a bit of a different routine with them so that there are activities for them to do throughout the day.
Now, I'm not necessarily talking about you being their non-stop source of entertainment, but activities can be good. These activities can include baking cookies, working on last-minute homemade Christmas presents, or watching special Christmas movies.
In addition, they can do activities for getting ready for Christmas too, like helping prepare the home for the holidays and any guests coming in.
Remember, even after Christmas they will be home for a bit, generally until after the New Year, so plan some things for them to do after Christmas too, besides playing with any new toys and gifts they receive.
Prepare As Much For The Christmas Eve And Christmas Day Meals Now As Possible
Similar to my advice for getting ready for Thanksgiving, do as much as you can now to get ready for guests and the big meals you'll ber serving for Christmas ahead of time.
First get as much non-food related preparations for the meals and guests done as possible. That may include getting beds and guest bathrooms ready, or polishing silverware, ironing napkins, etc.
Next, focus on preparing as much of the food as possible ahead of time, within reason, of course.
Some people (like my family) eat turkey at Christmastime too, so remember when getting ready for Christmas to defrost your bird in plenty of time. Here is the article on how to defrost turkey, which gives safety guidelines for when to begin defrosting, and with what method, if you need it.
Make Sure You Establish (Or Continue) Family Christmas Traditions This Year
One of the most special parts of the holidays is spending time with your family, and doing things with them.
To get you thinking about this topic, and to give you some ideas and suggestions I've written this free ebook with my bloggy friends Sandee (from Theme Party Queen) and Crystal (from Make Dinner Easy).
Everyone that subscribes to my newsletter can get this free ebook. You can find out more about how to get it here.
Continue Working Through Your Personal Christmas To Do List
Last week, as part of our
Christmas preparations, I asked you to create your own Christmas to do list with anything left you needed to do, that was unique to you and your family.
This week you just need to continue working on these items, as you have time and energy. Remember, if you've bitten off more than you can chew you can always just decide not to do a couple activities this year.
There is never any need to self-impose stress into your life, especially when getting ready for Christmas takes so much time and effort anyway.
Enjoy The Holiday Season With Your Friends And Family
Christmas is almost here, so go ahead and go to Christmas parties, drive around and see the lights on houses with your kids, and generally just enjoy the holiday season.
There is no point in getting ready for Christmas if you aren't going to sit back and enjoy it now that it is here!
I hope each of you has a Merry Christmas this year. In addition, I hope with this series that the whole holiday season has been a little bit more fun and joyful, and less stressful for you this year!
Tell Me How You're Doing On This Final Week Of Getting Ready For Christmas
I'd love to hear how your preparations are going this week in the comments below. Do you still have presents left to wrap, homemade food items to make, or whatever else is on your personal to do list? Also, tell me how you're enjoying your stress free Christmas season with a little extra preparation.
Previous Parts Of The Stress Free Holiday Series
If you missed the previous parts of this series, you can still jump in. There is always time to start getting ready for Christmas to make your holidays stress free.
Here are the previous challenges:
If You're Reporting On Your Progress For This Challenge On Your Own Blog Grab This Button!
If you have your own blog, and report on your experience or success with getting ready for Christmas this week I would love it if you grabbed my button to place on your posts so everyone can participate!
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Related Links At Household Management 101
Holidays And Celebrations With Your Family
Home Management Series And Courses
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