5 Essential Tips for Surviving the Holidays

The holidays are a special time of the year where family and friends come together to celebrate and make memories. For many moms, this time can also be quite overwhelming, especially with little ones around. To help new moms and other families navigate through the holiday season with ease, I have compiled five essential tips for surviving the holidays.  Holiday stress should not take aways from quality time with your family and extended family. Here are the best tips I use for myself during the holidays (even pre baby). At the end of the day little kids and young kids 

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Plan ahead and simplify your holiday meals

Planning is key to enjoying your holiday celebrations without any hiccups. Simplify your holiday meals by planning ahead to prevent last-minute stress. One way to do this is by preparing certain dishes in advance that can be refrigerated or frozen and reheated on the day of the event. Who doesn’t like a good slow cooker (crockpot!)  or instant pot meal? I love throwing my favorite fix-ins into a slower cooker adding eggs and cheese + don’t forget some shredded potato hash browns to enjoy the next day! Quick tip: if you want to start this at night you can put your slow cooker on low heat for 7-8 hours and you’ll have a delicious breakfast casserole! 

Here is my favorite slow cooker from Amazon: Crock Pot

Another good idea for a family holiday breakfast or for Christmas Day: if you want to make up about 2 hours before the kiddos you can always make a cinnamon roll casserole! Here are the ingredients and instructions here:

• 2 cans of cinnamon rolls of choice (I love Annie’s Organics you can find them here) 
• 4-5 eggs
• Maple syrup (enough sweetness as you’d like with this one)
  • Cube the cinnamon rolls (keep the icing to the side for later)
  • whisk the eggs and maple syrup together
  • Add cubed cinnamon rolls to Crockpot/Slow cooker 
  • Add the egg mixture to the top
  • Cook on medium to high heat for 2 hours and then drizzle the icing on top to serve.

Take self-care breaks

With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it’s important to take time for yourself (it’s always important, but extra important with the added stress of the holiday season). Schedule five to ten-minute breaks throughout the day to unwind and recharge, whether that be a short walk outside, a quick meditation session or just reading a book…or maybe a glass from your favorite bottle of wine. Taking care of your mental and emotional health will help you be more present and enjoy the holiday season with your loved ones. 

For me it is hard as working parent to not have more to-do lists during the holidays, but I saw that it was just adding extra stress for me and taking away from my time with my family – insert perfectionist tendencies here – womp… however I got the best advice from my mom last year and she told me to do different things for myself throughout the day that “fill my cup” and it will help me be more engaged during family events and as an added bonus I’ll actually enjoy the fun things. She was totally right, last year was my first holiday with my first child and the extra time to myself and deep breath I’d take every so often helped me! 

Don’t overspend on gifts

The holidays can be a financially stressful time of year for many families. To avoid overspending, set a budget and stick to it. Consider making gifts or creating DIY crafts as a way to show your loved ones how much you care. You can also participate in a Secret Santa or White Elephant gift exchange to reduce the number of gifts you need to purchase. We typically only get gifts for the kids in our family, however, there are currently only 3 total kids among myself and brother – my brother in law does not have any kiddos. To make it a memorable experience for the kids we like to get each kiddo something they like and then something they can play together during the Christmas gift exchange. So while the adults are enjoying some much needed family time and eating their own food without having everyone yell at them – the kids are entertained and playing together (creating those core memories!).

Assign tasks and delegate responsibilities

The holiday season is a time for family, and everyone can pitch in to make it a memorable one. Delegate tasks and responsibilities to family members, especially children, it is a great way to get them involved and reduce the workload. You can use a chore chart like this one here or this one to make it aware of what the tasks are for the little ones and they can either work towards something or you can have them pick the holiday meal (within reason) once they do a certain amount of tasks. My son is not old enough yet to do chores, but my idea is for the future; have him set the table for holiday events, have him help in the kitchen, make sure his play areas are clean before guest arrive, etc…and his ‘treat’ will be he can pick Christmas Morning’s breakfast – I will naturally give him options, since knowing how this little man eats he will want everything under the sun! 

Set realistic expectations

Set realistic expectations for yourself and your family during the holidays. Remember that you can’t do everything, and it’s okay to say no to certain events or traditions that are too overwhelming. Focus on creating happy memories and cultivating meaningful experiences with your family rather than trying to achieve the “perfect” holiday. Sometimes the best thing is also doing NOTHING! If little planning is your thing, sit back and chill – no matter what. you and your sig other are good parents and the kids see that especially during the holidays. They will see it by just spending time together! Create core memories and traditions your own way!

The holiday season can be a time of joy and happiness, but it can also be stressful and overwhelming. By planning ahead, taking care of your mental wellbeing, sticking to a budget, delegating tasks, and setting realistic expectations for yourself and your family, you can create a memorable and enjoyable holiday season. Remember that the most important thing during the holidays is spending time with your loved ones and creating happy memories together.

Sending Lots of Love this Holiday Season! Have some fun tips or memories you’d like to share? Comment Below!