Can you believe Christmas Day is just 100 days away? I’m jumping here on my blog and on IGTV (on Instagram @Coppeliamarie) to share tips & tricks to help us make the most of the days and weeks leading up to the season with this 101 Days till Christmas countdown!
101 Days till Christmas Countdown
Day 100: Start working on your Family’s Master Holiday Plan
The great thing about starting to think and plan for Christmas early is that you don’t have to do a lot. Today’s simple tip comes from two of my favorite sources: Real Simple magazine and a website called “Organized Home!”
Both of them suggest that in the 3 to 6 months leading up to Christmas (so, pretty much now), it’s a good idea to sit down, look at your calendar and chat with your family. Keep it simple! Talk with your hubby about extended family expectations. Ask your kids, if they’re old enough, what they loved about the holidays last year so you can plan to do it again.
Most importantly, look at your calendar!
If you’re like me, you want to do ALL THE CHRISTMAS THINGS! (And before that, all the THANKSGIVING THINGS! … etc!) Haha! That’s a recipe for burnout and stress.
Instead, this year, we’re going to look at the calendar and be realistic.
For example, my daughter’s fall gymnastic meets are on my planner and our family Google cal. When we saw that our church’s kids’ Christmas play auditions were on Sunday, we got excited! And then I saw the date of the show: December 8th. That’s the same day as my daughter’s state meet. As much as we’d love to do both, we can’t realistically schedule a Christmas show on the same day as a USAG sanctioned gymnastics meet. ARE WE CRAZY? No, we’re not.
That was a pretty easy “No.”
Just say NO during Christmas
The beauty of starting your “Family’s Master Holiday Plan” early is that it’ll make it a bit easier to say that magical word: “No.” If you’re like me, it can be HARD to say no sometimes (especially to family, friends, school expectations, work parties, women’s events at church, etc…). When you already have your plan in place, you can genuinely say, I’m sorry, I can’t! You’ll have a reason to say no, peace of mind and confidence, heading into the holiday season! WOOHOO!
Hope these tips help! Share some of your favorite “family holiday planning” tips in the comments! I’d love to hear from you!
Laughing (and planning for Christmas) thru life,
Coppelia
