5 Sanity-Saving Holiday Tips - 5 years later!
/5 years since this original post, and LOT of life has happened. We’ve got another kiddo, and we’ve been working through a global pandemic… but these 5 tips are even MORE helpful as we start to redefine our holiday season and holiday traditions. More than anything, the past few years have taught me not to trade my peace for ‘tradition.’ I’d encourage you to honor your needs, your space, and your peace this holiday season, and every season.
lots of love, Terra
We've all been there. It's 11:30 on Christmas Eve, and you're halfway through wrapping gifts when you run out of tape... or paper... or bows... and you realize that the last month has flown by. Though you're certain it's been busy, you're not quite sure what happened, who you saw or who you didn't, and you don't remember the last time you got a full night's sleep.
Ok- so you've never experienced that? Congrats! I, however, have been very guilty of spreading myself too thin during what is actually my favorite time of the year. One year, I even managed to forget to take Peyton to see Santa. Like, literally forgot until he said something... On December 23rd... #momfail.
Anyhoo- a few years ago, my husband and I decided to take back our holiday season. Spending time with loved ones- doing the things we love to do- is what makes the holidays our favorite time of year. We had tumbled down a rabbit hole of overcommitment (why is that so easy to do?!) and had gotten away from what really mattered to us. Here's the thing, at the end of the day, when the parties are over, and the gifts have been unwrapped, and the dances have been danced, and the carols have been sung, we still need to be present for each other. Somehow we lost sight of that! Luckily, we both committed to learning from what didn't work and moving forward as a team.
SO. **drumroll please** here are FIVE things we do during the holidays to keep our sanity and stay connected as a family.
COOKIE TIME! COOKIE TIME! COOK-IE-TII-IIME
Sanity-Saving Tip #1: Frozen Cookie Dough
AND SCENE: It's Thursday night, it's bedtime, and your darling child tells you that there's a class party TOMORROW, and he needs to bring a treat... Your friends are driving through town, and call to see if you're home for a quick visit... Your annual neighborhood 'Cookies, Carols, and Cocktails' party is tonight at 6, and you forgot until you see your neighbor at the mailboxes... at 5:30.
Let me tell you how to save the day in every one of these situations- frozen cookie dough. At the beginning of December, I spend a few nights with my son making cookie dough, rolling it into balls, and FREEZING IT. We do a big family cookie party, but I love these nights because it's just the 2 of us in the kitchen.
No matter how last minute any treat request is, for the next 8 dozen cookies needed, I'm only 15 minutes away from a solution. I have 2 go-to recipes. these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles. This recipe needs no alterations, they are delicious. The second is my family's Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe with Christmas colored M&M's. Both of these recipes are crowd pleasers over and over again.
Sanity-Saving Tip #2 Put It All Out There- Together
Have you ever said to your husband 'I told you last week....' SURE, neither have I. He and I totally remember everything the other says... the first time. Hahahaha no way.
My husband and I found this year that our schedules plus our son's schedule cannot be managed by memory. So, now we send each other calendar requests for EVERYTHING. Date night, haircuts, work events, holiday parties, school events, all of it. We used to spend so much time talking about what we had going on every week, but now, we spend time talking about what we did because it's all on the calendar.
Another game-changer this season has been managing our Christmas shopping lists on Trello. We have running gift lists for everyone in our family, and can both add notes, ideas, and mark items complete from our phones.
WHAT'S FOR DINNER?
Sanity-Saving Tip #3 -Keep weeknight dinners simple
Once we get into the first week of December, we have at least two holiday parties/happy hours/concerts every week through New Years. That mean's we're eating at home 4-5 days a week for dinner, and on those days, I stick to the family favorites that are SPEEDY! For us, this means Fajitas, Breakfast-For-Dinner, Meatballs, and Falafels on repeat. I want to spend time at home with my family, not in the kitchen working on dinner for an hour. Eating dinner together is a priority for us, and helps us slow down during this busy season! For more tips on how to get ahead of meal prep, check out this post!
WRAPPY HOUR
Sanity-Saving Tip #4- Turn the things you have to do into a party!
Last year, we started a new tradition that I don't know I can ever give up. The Thursday before Christmas, we get together with our friends and have a massive wrapping party. We lovingly refer to it as Wrappy Hour. We get a sitter for the kids and leave them at one house. Then, all of the adults wrap all Christmas presents at another house as to not be disturbed by kids. Here's the thing. Wrapping is a thousand times more fun when you do it with your friends, and cocktails, and a giant arsenal of wrapping supplies. It's also a great way to connect with friends while still being productive! In all, we spend about 90 minutes wrapping, and another 2 hours just laughing, relaxing, and enjoying good company. And helloooooooo!!! It means you can actually SLEEP on Christmas Eve!
JUST SAY NO
Sanity-Saving Tip#5 Don't overcommit yourself
This, I know, is easier said than done, but I truly think it's the most important tip. We opted a few years ago to stop saying yes to every invite we got, and instead, choose to attend the ones that mean the most to us. At first, I felt really bad declining invitations. Then I realized, no one really worries if I'm not one of the 50 guests at a cocktail party. I also realized that if I knew I wasn't going to enjoy myself at an event, I didn't have to go just to 'be nice.' It's so freeing to only go to the events you truly WANT to go to.
Now, we are refreshed between events and not run ragged. As much as possible, we try to attend events as a couple. My top picks may not be a priority for my hubby, and vice versa, but WE are each other's top priority and make it a point to show up for each other. Because we've scaled back the number of events we attend, we actually get to treat them as date nights rather than items on an agenda. We also save on babysitters by being selective with events.
Bonus tip- schedule some downtime! We purposely schedule a Friday/Saturday or Saturday/Sunday between Thanksgiving and NYE with no events. This year, we used that weekend to watch Stranger Things. I wore pajamas one day until 2 pm. It. Was. Great.
From our family to yours, and from me to you, we wish you the happiest holiday season! Take a moment here and there to slow down, take a breath, and take it all in.
Much Love, Terra
