November 27, 2008
Plan Now for the Remaining Holidays
Is it just me or did stores start putting out their Christmas decorations one millisecond after Halloween was over? By the time you read this, Thanksgiving will have come and gone and the holiday juggernaut will be speeding on with all its attendant hustle and bustle. There are cards to be sent, gifts to buy, parties to plan or attend, baking to be done, houses to organize and clean, decorations to display - the list seems endless. It’s no wonder that for many people, the holidays are a combination of excitement, anticipation, stress and exhaustion.
Hopefully you’re way ahead of the organizational curve this year, but in case you’re not, here are some tips to help you chart a wise course for the rest of the holiday season, avoid some common pitfalls, steer clear of the stress and make the events of the season more enjoyable.
TIP #1 – WHAT MATTERS MOST: Think about what you really want from this holiday season while Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice or whatever you celebrate are still far enough away to allow you some breathing room and some perspective. A good place to start is with last year and what did or didn’t work for you and your family, what you liked or didn’t like. Do you want to host one large, blowout celebration or a few smaller, more casual ones? Do you want to create new holiday traditions this year, go with the old ones or some of both? Everyone’s answers will be different; the important thing is to think it through. Remember, beautiful greeting card and TV and movie images are not real life. Don’t be seduced into comparing what you have with the unreal images that surround you at this time of year and don’t let the advertisers or retailers decide how you should celebrate the holidays. Decide what you want your holidays to mean and stay true to your feelings.
TIP #2 – FIRST AND FOREMOST: Once you’ve figured out what matters most to you, establish a HOLIDAY BUDGET. Make it real and keep yourself honest by writing it down and sticking to it. Everything will flow naturally from that. How much you spend on gifts, on holiday celebrations, travel, etc.
TIP #3 – BETTER EARLY THAN LATE: Waiting until the very last minute to start your holiday planning is a sure fire way to send your stress level into the stratosphere. Start organizing your seasonal tasks and plotting out when you will do them. Write them down and be sure to follow through. Cross off each item as you complete it. Not only will you feel good, but it will also help to ensure that nothing is forgotten. Remember, a list and a plan only work if you work them!
TIP #4 – THE MORE THE MERRIER: If you haven’t already, now’s the time to start talking with family members about how they can help with this year’s holiday celebrations. Enlist your children and spouse to help with holiday shopping, wrapping presents, decorating, putting stamps on envelops, household chores, etc. Getting them involved relieves you of the stress and responsibility for everything and you will definitely get more done faster. They will feel valued for having been asked and valuable for lending a hand. It's also more fun and memorable when everyone shares in the preparations.
TIP #5 – CHOSE BETTER OVER MORE: Given the current, sobering world financial situation, if ever there was a year to aim for quality over quantity and substance over fluff or even go gift free, this is it. Choosing quality over quantity doesn't mean that you or your home need to be decked out expensively or that an abundance of anything is necessarily bad. It means that choosing "better" is often preferable to opting for "more". Chose the most beautiful, most useful and most meaningful items you can and see if decreasing the number of items in your life doesn't just improve the quality of your life.
TIP #6 – GIVE THE GIFT OF AN EXPERIENCE: Experiences - a restaurant, facial or massage gift certificate; movie, theatre or concert tickets; a museum, zoo, botanical garden, health club or state park membership; a yoga, music, dance, self-defense, foreign language, computer, art, acting, cooking, or knitting class - can be wonderful and welcome gifts, especially for people who already have a lot of “stuff” or people who might not have the ability to pay for these experiences on their own. It’s much nicer to have your gift result in a fond memory rather than just another thing to dust! Consider asking others to give you experiences, too, instead of things if you feel over-“stuffed”!
TIP #7 – GIVE UNTO OTHERS: If you don’t feel the need for more “stuff” or experiences, ask people to make donations in your name at sites like networkforgood.org, where you can create a wish list of charities that are meaningful to you.
TIP #8 – THINK LONG TERM AND BIG PICTURE: If you’ve been pinching pennies lately and fell the urge to splurge this holiday season, try to think about the price you might have to pay for it come January. Will the parties, gift giving, inevitable over-eating, etc. be worth the financial, clutter or health hits you might have to take? Think about alternative ways to celebrate that won’t break the bank, but will still feel festive and satisfying.
TIP #9 – SEND THEM FOR THE RIGHT REASON: Sending cards is not and should not feel like an OBLIGATION. Send cards only if you want to. If you have more time after the holidays, send a New Year’s greeting instead. New Year’s cards won’t get lost in the shuffle and they send an equally important message of good wishes. It's one way to slow things down a little and make a hectic holiday less so. Also, consider alternatives to traditional holidays cards. I’m a big fan of paperless solutions. Photo holiday cards are an earth friendly, popular option and many websites offer simple ways to create a personalized greeting. If your family and friends are technically savvy, consider creating a slideshow of pictures you’d like to share or video clips and deliver via e-mail.
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MILLER ORGANIZING. All rights reserved.
14 Stuyvesant Oval
NYC, NY 10009