After a few years of hosting holiday events, juggling 3 kids, and trying to do it all- I have learned some tried and true ideas to keep your holiday merry and bright!
1- Get your cards ready to go ahead of time.
You can easily prepare your holiday card online and grab some great deals early in the season. Then you can get them ready to go, with addressed envelopes. Once you are ready to send them, the leg-work is done, all you have to do is find yourself a post office!
And really, browsing through some of the exclusive designs offered at Tinyprints, this holiday prep work is a lot of fun! I have ordered from Tinyprints before and know first hand how wonderful their items are.
Check TinyPrints holiday card selection.
2- Just say No!
It's easy to get caught up in all the events the holidays have to offer, but you don't have to say "yes" to everything that comes your way. You'll wear yourself and all your little elves out too. Instead, just say "no" and enjoy a quiet evening with hot cocoa and your family. Those are the memories you will remember.
3- Keep a list, check it twice!
Keep track of everyone's holiday wish list through out the year, and when it comes time to buy gifts, you'll have lots of ideas to choose from.
Check it twice by noting gifts you have already bought and it will keep you from overspending on too many gifts!
4- Make a budget and stick to it!
This means a budget for everything. A budget for gifts, holiday events, a baking supply budget, a grocery budget...and well, you get the idea.
If you plan ahead of time just how much you are willing to spend, both you and your wallet will be much happier at the end of it all.
5- Freeze it!
Double up on some of your favorite winter time meals and desserts, and freeze half of it. Then you will have the other half to use as a quick meal during a busy holiday-packed day or give to a neighbor as a holiday treat.
6- Wrap it up!
Wrap your gifts as you buy them. Then you won't be up until 3 am Christmas Eve wrapping (I'm just saying). Be sure to put name tags on the gifts as your wrap them, so you will remember which goes where (that is tip from experience).
7- Plan a pre-party day.
If you are hosting the big day, spend a couple hours a day or two before baking items that can be frozen, prepping sauces that can be refrigerated or one dish meals that can be heated in a casserole dish. You don't have to get up at 5 am to start your big event baking.
8- Find some time to yourself.
Whether it's a few minutes in a bookstore, or a quick run on the treadmill, a few minutes to yourself will make you feel much more energized and ready to take on the holidays...and we all know, a happy Mom, equals a happy family.
9- Shop onine.
That's a no brainer. Avoid some of the lines, the endless rides around the parking lot and the grumpy crowds by shopping online at your favorite retailers. Your holiday items will arrive right at your doorstep! We all love to get packages at our door and you can find some great online deals and free shipping if you do a little searching.
10- Do less.
Simplify...sometimes a little less will bring you more. Will anyone really notice if your return address labels don't match your holiday card? It's doubtful. Even if you buy some premade bows and don't spend a whole afternoon going all Martha Stewart on your wrapping, chances are, no one else will notice, and you may just save yourself a little stress worrying about such tiny details.
About Tiny Prints-
Tiny Prints provides stylish, modern and unique stationery from photo cards to personalized greeting cards to thank you cards and business cards. Offering exclusive designs from the nation’s top designers, easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality, their designs have been lauded by numerous television networks, publications and celebrities. With Tiny Prints by your side the Holidays will be a cinch! They offer adorable Thanksgiving Cards, Christmas Cards, Hanukkah Cards, and even New Years Cards. All fully customizable and personalizable.
“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Tiny Prints blogging program, making me eligible to get a $75 Tiny Prints gift certificate! For more information on how you can participate, click here."
