21 Cheap and Easy Ways to a Stress-free Christmas Holidays
100 days before Christmas may sound forever and a day.
Fast forward 3 months, it feels like a blink of an eye.
The kids will say...
“Hooray! Christmas is coming!!!”
With so much energy and excitement.
Needless to say, they have one thousand and one reasons to be excited about the Christmas season.
They are on a long Christmas holiday vacation. They get thrilled with the magic of Christmas decorations. They look forward to the presents and presence of families, friends, and most especially the Great Big Man in Red, Santa Claus.
On the other side, adults will say…
“What? Christmas is coming already?!!!”
With a great sound of amusement and weight.For grown-ups, the meaning of this season may change.
As adults, we may move up from being a gift receiver to a gift-giver; but, the enthusiasm and the appreciation, as well as the importance that this time of year brings, will never fade.
To some, like us, it is a sacred religious celebration (birth of Jesus Christ, a religious leader glorified in Christianity) and to others, (in the absence of religion) it is a societal and commercial phenomenon.
Whatever reasons there may be, it is apparent that the details that we need to attend during this season may be quite overwhelming to many.
Most people are frazzled just the thought of the things that they need to do to survive a truly Merry Christmas feast.
If you are feeling the pressure of this festive season and want to relieve that load, search no more as I am presenting to you the 21 simple and economical ways you need to try for complete stress-free Christmas holidays:
1. Remember the ultimate reason for this season
2. Connect with people that matter most to you
3. Picture the Christmas you want
5. Prepare for possible plan B and C...
10. Skip lavish treats or gifts
14. Take advantage of after Christmas sale (Boxing Day Sale)
15. Express it through ecards and emails
16. Smell some aroma
18. Make decorating and gift wrapping a family event
19. Breathe
21. Enjoy the season
3. Picture the Christmas you want
Allow yourself to imagine enjoying the perfect Christmas you want without the stress. Create a clear picture in your head.
Is it a simple get together at the comfort of your home with your family and friends having a ball over scrumptious meals and great company? Or is it a Christmas getaway - a white Christmas holiday in the snow or a warm Christmas break on an island?
Whichever you choose, you have something to look forward that will comfort you and calm the chaos in your head.
5. Prepare for possible plan B and C...
It may sound weird to see this on the list but I guess this has become a normal trick during this year of pandemic. Lots of well-designed plans have been cancelled and re-planned. Though we don’t often wish to jinx our plans, it’s good to have this in mind every now and again to avoid further stress and disappointments.
7. Set a realistic budget
This is one of the basics of a stress-free Christmas celebration - to have a financially stress-free holiday.
To prevent unnecessary stress when it comes to financial aspects during this season, make sure to set reasonable boundaries for your outgoing finances based on your situation. This includes the foods you’ll have on the table, the gifts you are to give, and the holiday you wish to indulge. Assess your current situation, perhaps whatever you had in the past years may not be as practical to have this year. Try to be realistic about what you can commit budget-wise.
11. Don’t over-commit
Christmas is the most popular season for parties and get-togethers. Different parties are scheduled with families, work, friends, church, and other connections alike. If you have quite good relationships with all of them, expect to get invitations from a couple or even all of those functions.
Before you are tempted to say yes to all requests, gauge yourself if you are genuinely happy to attend those gatherings. And say yes only if it will not cause you unnecessary headaches in terms of preparation, time, and availability.
The best recipe is prioritizing to avoid over-committing.
15. Express it through ecards and emails
Traditional cards and mails are still around.
But in this modern age, we can take advantage of digitalization through electronic cards and mails (ecards and emails) to bring our warm Christmas messages’ to our loved ones especially those who are a thousand miles away from us. While there are card manufacturers who have turned online and have their products available through subscriptions, e.g. Hallmark and Blue Mountain, there are free ecards and virtual greeting cards that are available on the internet. You just need to be very cautious to keep your online security away from potential scams.
20. Short walk challenge
I remember when I used to work, I strived to sneak at least 10-15 minutes’ walk outside to calm my nerves from all the pressures during the day. It’s amazing how a short walk can help to conquer the clutter in your head. This Christmas why not try the “12 Days of Christmas” challenge in the form of a short walk either with the whole family or by yourself. This will help you have a relaxing moment on your own or bonding Christmas time with the family.
CONCLUSION:
I hope you find the above information helpful to make the most of your memorable holidays. The key takeaway here is to meticulously treasure the essence of this Christmas season and not to be too absorbed by the superficial details of the occasion.
Now, over to you…
Do you have a favourite Christmas tradition or routine which helps you to have a stress-free Christmas celebration?
Please feel free to share them in the comment section below.
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Have a merry stress-free Christmas spree, Homeys!