4 Simple Ways to Save Your Sanity This Holiday Season

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Doesn’t it just seem like the most wonderful time of the year is really the most stressful time of the year? The holiday season can be super chaotic! There’s always something else that needs to be done, presents to wrap, people to visit, and elves to hide.

Two years ago, I wore myself out in the days leading up to Christmas. Our family-sized van was in the shop until December 17th. So by the time we got it back, we had less than a week to do all of our outside-the-home family traditions! Along with the last minute things that always need to be done, I was only getting a few hours of sleep each night. By the time Christmas morning rolled around, I was a hot mess. I could barely walk because the bottom of my feet hurt so bad and I was way too tired to enjoy the festivities. Since then, I have come up with a few tips and tricks that help me plan for the holidays early so I can have an enjoyable season that is stress-free and memorable.

By planning for a few things ahead of time, you’ll be able to save your sanity come December. Are you ready to get a head start on your holiday to-do list and create a holiday budget? Let’s get started!

Psst… You can start planning now with the Holiday Playbook!

A unique holiday planner that will help you stay organized from Halloween until New Year’s!

# 1 -– Make a Master To-Do List and Organize It By Month

The first thing you can do to save your sanity this season is to create a master holiday to-do list.

By having one centralized location to store #allthethings, you’ll eliminate the brain clutter that pops into your head at random and weighs down your mind.

Here are a few tasks you might want to add to your Master Holiday List:

Decluttering, organizing, cleaning, decorating
Travel plans, extended-family visits
Party planning, menu planning, potlucks, cooking/baking
Acts of kindness, gift ideas, homemade gifts, wrapping supplies

You can keep your master list on your phone, or you can dedicate a specific notebook for all of your holiday planning. You do you! Different strokes for different folks. 🤷‍♀️

But don’t feel obligated to only add items that are listed above!

Brainstorm any and all tasks that your family might possibly want to accomplish between now and New Years Day.

If an idea comes to you while you’re laying in bed at night, add it to your list!

And when you’re confident that your to-do list is as close to complete as it can be, separate the tasks by month.

Then, add them to your calendar!

This is what my holiday to-do list looks:

– Plan and purchase the kid’s Halloween costumes

– Create my holiday budget

– Brainstorm gift ideas

– Schedule family photos

– Re-organize the kitchen

– Gather old toys and clothes for donations

– Deep clean a few trouble spots in my home

If you don’t have many tasks you can complete yet, that’s okay! Save this post for later and come back to it when you have more to add to your to-do list.

# 2 –- Create a HOLIDAY Bucket List

Now that you have a list of all of your commitments, it’s time to add the fun stuff!

So grab a second sheet of paper and jot down all the fun activities that you want to do this year.

Some holiday/seasonal bucket list items might include:

Tree farm
Light displays
Ice skating
Caroling
Plays/musicals
Religious events
Parties
DIY and crafts
Personal family traditions

It might be helpful to list all of the fun things you do every holiday season. Poll your family for activities they are interested in.

And don’t forget to check local event schedules and personal invites!

From there, go ahead and add in activities you have always wanted to try.

You don’t have to commit to everything you’ve wrote down. The point of this step is to just get an idea of what kinds of things you would maybe like to do.

# 3 -– Decide If There Are Any Tasks or Traditions You Can Let Go Of

Sit down with your family and figure out which traditions are truly worth keeping. You might be surprised to learn that your kids don’t really mind whether you have a real tree or a fake one.

Maybe you will decide to nix the ice skating because you have a lot of holiday party invitations.

Or maybe you would rather politely decline all social events because you would prefer a simple and stress-free holiday season.

Again, this is your holiday, so take the time to think about what you want the season to feel like.

Be intentional about what you truly want to do and actually enjoy,

It’s perfectly acceptable to cut back on the decorations, gift-giving, parties, or cooking.

So take on whatever you feel comfortable with, and consider letting go of anything you don’t truly enjoy or have the time for.

# 4 -– Create Your Holiday Budget

The last way to save your sanity this holiday season is to get started on your budget.

This step is super important. Whether you follow a strict budget year-round or you’re just tired of overspending every December.

Your budget will come in handy when it comes time to create your gift recipient lists. So don’t skip past it!

With close to 30 family members on my yearly shopping list, I was having a hard time figuring out how to divide up my spending somewhat equally.

This neat budgeting trick will help if you’re having trouble figuring out how much to spend on each recipient.

For credit card users and those who put money into a holiday savings account, creating your budget is as simple as setting a projected amount for specific categories:

Giving
Decor
Entertainment

But if you live paycheck-to-paycheck, a holiday budget can get kinda tricky.

And that’s all the more reason why it’s so important!

By determining which bills are due from each pay period, you’ll have a pretty good idea of how much is left over to spend on gifts:

First, take a look at your bills and their due dates and add them all to a calendar.
Next, tally up exactly how much is due from each paycheck (including gas, groceries, medical, etc.)
The amount of money remaining will give you a rough idea of how much you can spend on the holiday season.

Your Turn

There you have it! My go-to tips to help you get a head start on everything you want and need to do for the holiday season.

Take some time to create your master holiday to-do list, a holiday bucket list, and a holiday budget, and you’ll save yourself the trouble of having to cram it all in come November. The point of this exercise is to give you a general idea of all the things you will be focusing on at the end of the year.

When you’re ready to start preparing for the upcoming holiday season, sign up for my email list below and gain access to this mini holiday planner! Start planning now so you have one less thing to worry about after Thanksgiving. 🙌

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