Have you noticed the holiday merchandise creep? Even before all of the Halloween candy was put out on the shelves, festive snowmen and reindeer were stealthily sneaking around the corner. It’s enough to strike fear in the most seasoned of SuperMom hearts, because for many of us, the word “holidays” is synonymous with the word “stress.” We can all use a little bit of organization when it comes to this area of our lives.
If you are a visual person, hanging a large whiteboard in your office or keeping one planner for everything (business, kids, holiday parties, etc.) might help keep you from double booking this season. You could give yourself deadlines for gift buying, wrapping, baking, and crafting. Use different colors for different types of events or for whom you are booking (red for work, green for kids, blue for shopping…you get the idea). When it comes to staying organized, having all of your eggs in one basket is a good thing!
Additionally, there are several wonderful online tools that can help you stay on track. This article on iVillage can help you plan for Thanksgiving just two weeks out. I also recently discovered Organized Home’s Christmas Countdown. You can follow along on Twitter, Facebook, or have tips and reminders sent to you via email. This site eschews the year round planning advice we’ve gotten in the past. Who wants to thinks about stocking up on gifts in March? I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to start thinking about it until we’ve at least gotten through Halloween!
Last, but not least, schedule yourself some time off to just be with your family. The giving of your time is more precious than any wrapped gift could ever be. Simplify your holidays by decorating less, shopping less, and traveling less. Make a conscious effort to slow down, and try to remind yourself of this when standing in a very long line of cranky shoppers! Take a deep breath and remember what makes this time of year so magical.
Christy Johnson has two amazing little girls and a rock of a handsome hubby. She photographs Raleigh’s most adorable families and blogs her photography work and personal stories at Be True Image Design. Email her with your own struggles and triumphs with work/life balance at christy@betrueimagedesign.com.
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