Holiday help things I found to be helpful!
Sharing…Why the holidays ARE less stressful for me?
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Holiday help things I found to be helpful!
Thinking about the upcoming holidays made me realize that I’m not as stressed or overwhelmed as I used to feel in previous years.
And it made me wonder, “Why is that and what am I doing differently?”
Why ARE the holidays less stressful for me?
It’s taken me years to figure out some of these things so I thought in today’s purposeful conversation I would share with you all… what has really helped my family and myself.
Hopefully, you won’t have to wait years to see if some of them will work for you.
Holiday decorations organized.
OK….this one was a biggie!
Decorating for the holidays used to be a bit of a “dreaded chore” in our house.
My husband and I did not look like the couples in the Hallmark Christmas movies: All smiles and full of love working together…no, that DEFINITELY didn’t happen. There was hassle, grunts and sometimes even a few “harsh” words… not a good start for creating the beginnings of holiday festivities.
But, I learned with some simple, helpful tips from professional organizer, Susan Parziale (Parz-e-allie,) ways to organize holiday decorations that have made a huge difference.
Purchasing Gifts…
I also use a simplified gift formula that comes from Amanda Morin.
Sometimes just figuring out what to buy for everybody makes me feel overwhelmed…sometimes to the point that I don’t really function very well.
But I love Amanda’s suggestions for reducing the number of gifts by using a simplified gift formula for each child.
She calls it: Want, Need, Wear, Read. Listen to learn more.
For teacher’s gifts, therapist’s gifts, and for those that I want to say a special “thank you” to, I’ve always made it a point to learn to make one really delicious treat that they’re not going to get elsewhere and package it nicely using containers or gift bags from the dollar store.
I really can’t afford to buy everybody that helps my daughter an expensive gift, but I try to make sure that they know that we appreciate them.
Related: Stress-Free Cookie Decorating with Kids
Forced Family FUN!!
We also instituted “forced family fun”… I say “forced” because that’s how it started out, but now it’s become so much fun that we all look forward to it.
Forced family fun really has become the time to enjoy each other and spend quality time doing something that’s a little out of the ordinary. It tends to make us think of when we were young again and recall some great memories.
So there you have it… here are some tips that I’ve used to make the holidays easier for me. I’ve also included a link to some of these articles that we’ve shared in the past.
I hope some of these tips will make your holiday a little more stress-free…
Remember the old saying, “Less is more”? I’ve really come to understand that saying is TRUE!!!
None of us ever knows what life has planned for us, and I think as special needs parents we get really good at adjusting to all the curve balls that come our way….the ones we can’t control.
But, I think having tips from others that have figured out different ways of doing things can help us with the things we can control…
I want to wish you all a less stressful holiday season.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Organization Tips For Holiday Decorations
Want Need Wear Read: The Holiday Gift Strategy
Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt Can You FInd?
Organization for the Holidays!
8 Tips to prepare your family members with special needs for the Holiday Season?
Related: 2018 Holiday GIft Guide Unwrap Some Fun
Anything to Add?
Leave me a comment about what you learned from this podcast (or any of our podcasts). I might give you a shout out in the next episode.
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