For me, late September is like the calm before the storm. The kids are back in school and we are settling into our school year routine. It feels like there’s just a little bit of breathing room, a chance to catch my breath before the busy season which is just around the corner – Halloween, birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. If this sounds familiar, take stock of what you can do now to make the upcoming seasons easier. Here are some ideas…
- Stock the freezer with meals or baked goods.
- Clean out closets to create space for incoming items like fall clothes or holiday gifts.
- Schedule appointments for carpet cleaning, window cleaning, haircuts, or any other services you plan to use before the holidays.
- Think about the biggest sources of stress for you in the season ahead. Then, brainstorm steps you can take now to make things easier on yourself.
Checking a few things off your future to-do list now is like sending your future self a little gift. I promise you, she’ll thank you later.
What tasks do you like to do ahead of time to take stress out of the holiday season? Or are you simply grateful for the reminder? Tell me about it in the comments!
I can’t remember the last time I had a “calm before the storm” 🙁
… but I do cook/bake in large batches and save leftovers, and I love my crock pot.
Another pre-holiday time saver is to just leave the Christmas tree up all year. 😉
I can’t make and freeze things like cookies ahead of time because, with two teenage boys, they’d be gone in a matter of days.
Knowing where we will be for the holidays is usually most important for me to know so I can figure out what I’m doing. If I’m hosting, then I know I need to get started, but if I’m not, then I don’t have to worry about it.
This year I am trying minimalism so, provided my husband agrees (and that’s the key) I’m going to tell people that he and I aren’t doing the gift thing. I just don’t want to have the stress of getting gifts just because I have to, nor do I want anyone to be under stress to get us something just because they feel they have to.
Hopefully this will allow for things to be less stressful. We’ll see.
One of the best investments I ever made was a platform bed when I had to replace the old bedstead. It is firm, but I avoided the extra expense of a box spring. The platform is wood and has six drawers on three sides. I have designated one of those drawers for gift-giving occasions and the such. Being someone who has misplaced gift items in the past, I now have a go-to-place when I happen across the perfect gift for someone whatever the time of year. I just received the gift bags I ordered for the holidays and they are in the drawer. Over-size items get a note listing their location placed in the drawer. It makes me smile every time it works. You can use it for white elephant items, give-away, donations and miscellaneous items such as a hostess gift or trinket at the ready. Can also be used for that borrowed item that needs to be returned (I can only stack so much stuff by the front door that needs to go out).
I have enjoyed the season most when I plan ahead – make menus, lists, laid out place settings the night before and washed up as I went. I shop for gifts all year long which is a huge stress buster for me 🙂
For the last couple of years, after every Christmas and holiday (vacation) I write up/edit a series of notes about what worked well and what didn’t (and why, note emotions and behaviours too if appropriate), with suggestions for my future self for the next time. Now I’m on my third year post notes I’m finding it all really helpful! It can be simple little things such as where relevant but infrequently used items are stored, to what works best about outfits, work hours, etc to planning way ahead to avoid everything happening all at once. It’s amazing how stressful (if lovely) a time Christmas can be and reading notes about how I have consistently felt and behaved in the past is really useful as its so easy to forget after the event!