Hello loves! It’s the last two days of October, which mean the holiday season is quickly approaching. I’ve already started planning for the holidays, but thought I would share a couple of things that have helped me so far.
My first tip is to create a plan. This can be done digital or on paper. I prefer paper, and currently use the Happy Planner by MAMBI. One of the things I like most about this system are the moveable discs. Meaning I can put things in my planner and take things out as needed. This is helpful when I need to add a menu, grocery list, interesting articles from a magazine or something on the internet, etc. And when the holiday season is over I can move it all out of my planner (and archive it for next year) so it’s not taking up room. If you prefer a digital calendar, you can set tasks in your calendar with reminders for what needs to be done by a specific date. For example, create guest list for Thanksgiving due 10/01/17, create menu for Thanksgiving 10/08/17, etc.
My second tip is to ask for help. I know if you’re like me then you hate asking for help, because you think you can do it faster than the time it takes to explain it to someone who may or may not get it right. BUT asking for help when planning an event is not only smart, it will save you time in the long run. The more tasks you can delegate to someone else (within reason of course), the more time you will have to spend enjoying family and friends. More Mary and less Martha is my goal this holiday season.
My last tip is to go with the flow. Don’t stress out over every little thing. Again, if you’re like me then I know how hard this can be. I like for things to be perfect, but perfectionism is a myth that has stolen joy from some of the most important moments in my life. Thanks to my husband I’m learning to worry and stress less about things that I have no control over (and the ones that I do). He’s amazing like that! So, don’t worry about every detail to the point that your so stressed out that your yelling at your kids because they (insert typical kiddo behavior here), or your sweating in the kitchen and side eyeing your husband as he walks through and snags a piece of turkey off the platter you just neatly prepared, instead stop and go see what everyone is laughing about in the family room. You’ll thank yourself later.
Okay, those are the three that I have so far. I’m sure I’ll gather more as the season goes on. Tell me, what are some of your tips for preparing for the holidays?
Andrea Ja'Cole 