Keep Calm and Jingle On!

So you have the turkey stuffed, your best linens are on the table and your guests have been invited. You mulled over what kind of wine to buy and whether guests want sweet potatoes or mashed. You cleaned your house from top to bottom and desserts have been made. Now you are absolutely spent! AND the holidays have not even already begun.

I am sharing 10 tips for staying calm during the holidays. If you don't, you just might miss them!

1. Share it! Frustrated or overwhelmed with all of what you have to do? Tell someone. Ask for help and put some responsibility on another family member. Have that person handle dessert and drinks and you prepare the main feast. Delegate!

2. List it! What do you need to do vs what you WANT to do. Pick 2 things from each list to create balance for yourself each week. By the end of the month, you will be in good shape.

3. Take a break. Find something else to do unrelated to the holidays that rejuvenates you. Take a run, catch a good movie that just came out or go get a massage. 

4. Don't miss them! That is right. If you do not savor the moments, the holidays just end up being a date in your calendar. Be sure to participate in a local holiday event like a tree lighting or food drive. Maybe plan a cookie swap with friends. Do something FUN that puts you in the holiday mood.

5. Create! Be creative. Do something completely opposite of your holiday to do list. Go take a painting class, read a new book or try out an adult coloring books to let your thoughts wander. I love this one to the left called Color Me Calm by Lacy Mucklow and Angela Porter. Pick one up here at  Color Me Calm.

6. Exercise! Sorry. No getting around this one. Exercise relieves stress, releases endorphins and hey.. you usually feel instantly better afterward. Get going.

7. Make a date. Do you always miss seeing those you love on the holidays because you run out of time? Put a few dates on the calendar with people you have been meaning to have coffee with or visit before the year is up. If it is written down, you are more likely to keep the date.


8. Shop off hours. This is a tough one considering stores make it very easy for you to shop all day and night during the holidays. But try to get one up morning early and beat the traffic and jammed parking lots. Write a list of what you need to buy and for who and stick with it. 

9. Make a gratitude jar for 2016. If you are forgetting what the holidays are about, you might love this idea. Start in January and write down small memories and fun events by putting them in the jar. On December 31st you open the jar and share memories and good times with your family. The jar can be decorated and you can make any size that is best for you. Here is a Pinterest link with an infinite number of examples and ideas to get you inspired! Gratitude Jar projects

10. Relax. Schedule in a nap once a week, a long walk or a morning sleeping in. Sleep is what rejuvenates us and allows our body to reset for the next day.

How will you find your calm this season??