How to Be Less Stressed This Holiday Season

Posted by Natasha on October 19th, 2019

The holiday season is meant to be full of cheer, love, and family time, but it frequently becomes stressful. Learn how to make the holiday season less stressful this year with these tips!

Finding the perfect gift for everyone on your list can be a joy, but it can also be stressful. If you need to get a gift for someone who already has everything or who you don’t know well, like for an office gift exchange, it can be difficult to know what to buy! To help reduce the guesswork and stress, talk to your gift exchange organizer and see if he or she will use a secret Santa survey to help participants get to know one another.

People frequently feel like they have to participate in every holiday activity and party they’re invited to. Saying no to a few holiday gatherings is an easy way to de-stress and make your holiday season more enjoyable. Attend parties you truly need or want to, but don’t worry about going to every single one. Give yourself permission to skip a few events, like the community tree lighting or the annual holiday parade, if the thought of attending brings you more dread than joy.

Another way to reduce stress during the holiday season, and in January when you get the bills, is to make homemade presents instead of shopping for everything. Handmade gifts can be economical and thoughtful, especially when you make homemade body products like sugar scrubs. Scrubs are easy to make and always appreciated during cold, dry winter months!

You can also make your own decorations and ornaments instead of purchasing them. Younger children love to help make ornaments out of air dry clay or salt dough! For even less mess, grab some free printable ornament templates. Your children can color the ornaments or use them as templates to trace onto foam or felt to make ornaments. Craft foam and felt are both very inexpensive and your kids will have fun! Spending a cold, wet winter afternoon making your own holiday decorations creates wonderful memories and saves you the hassle of competing with the crowds at your local big box store.

If you do want to purchase gifts and decorations, try shopping early to reduce the stress. Many stores have Christmas decorations out months ahead of time - go ahead and stock up when they first hit the shelves. It might feel odd to buy Christmas things before Halloween, but you’ll be glad you did once the holiday shopping lines start! Shopping online is increasingly popular and another great way to skin the holiday lines.

If you need to mail Christmas cards or presents, send them out as early as possible. Lines at the Post Office get longer and longer as holiday shipping deadlines approach. Try to mail packages and cards in November to avoid standing in line to purchase a shipping label or stamps.

People frequently feel pressured to create a magazine-worthy Christmas meal, but you can significantly reduce holiday stress by giving yourself permission to take it easy this year. Many grocery stores have order ahead holiday meal kits with traditional dishes and sides. If you’d prefer to do some home cooking, ask a couple friends or neighbors if they’d like to have a holiday potluck with you. Everyone can prepare one or two dishes and gather for a meal together.

Return the joy to your holiday season by following some of these tips for de-stressing the holidays!