A Holiday to Remember

Most of us enjoy the holidays and look forward to setting up the tree, baking the cookies, and shopping for gifts. Yet for others, it’s a big production with lots of to dos, stress, and frustration. Instead of blaming others or the season for creating all this work and angst. Why not do it differently this year?

Holiday Decorations.

• • This is the year to take inventory of what you have. If you have too many decorations and not enough space, sort out which ones may be outdated, or worn out and throw these out.
  • Do you have too many Santas, snowmen or lights? Why not donate the surplus? If you decide to buy new ornaments, make room for these by recycling the older ones.
  • Why not swap Christmas ornaments with a friend instead of buying new? Your house will get a new holiday makeover without spending money.
  • Make the following year decoration process easier on yourself, by sorting and storing your decorations in containers and labeling them for easier access. Try storing your lights using cardboard paper towel tubes or pool noodles, so there’s no tangles when unpacking for the next year.

Holiday Cooking

• • Go through your pantry as you start your grocery list for the family favorites and gather any items that may be close to expiration and use these first or donate them.
  • Organize your baking ware and ingredients in a section of your kitchen so you can grab them at once for your inventory and cooking prep.
  • Organize your recipes, ingredients, and kitchen cabinets before shopping. This way you know what you have, and you are not overspending on duplicates.

            The Holiday To-Do List

• • Delegate your To-Do list. You don’t have to do it all.
  • Get your family involved, let them try their hand at your mother’s recipes and include your children in the decorating process.
  • Doing projects with the family brings everyone together to create new memories.

Don’t forget that the real reason for holiday gatherings is to spend time together, eating, drinking, and enjoying each other’s company. It’s not about stressing over not having enough time to do it all, or taking control over every aspect of the preparation, and trying to make it all perfect. No one ever remembers how beautiful your table looked and how everything matched, they will remember making cookies together, sharing stories over cocoa and the love a family experiences when they help and appreciate each other.

“In the end, kids won’t remember that fancy toy you bought them,
They will remember the time you spent with them.”
-Kevin Heath