Conquer the Holidays

Every January I promise myself it will never happen again.  Then, a year goes by & I’m in the same predicament.  Yes the extra pounds are there to loose right after I sleep for a week.  And my week of sleep & lack of eating will help my credit card bill too.  But this promise is the Big Daddy Promise.  If I kept this one, it would help with the little ones too.

The Big Daddy Promise is where I promise myself I will get a handle on the holiday season schedule…….. (You can stop laughing now.)  This is possibly the Mount Everest of schedules these days.  Not only are you expected to keep up with your crazy, hectic regular life, but from October 31st – January 1st you are expected to add in parties, planning, hosting, baking, wrapping, shopping, not eating anything yummy put before you, corresponding, shopping more, and getting the family together for the holiday photo.  Oh, and we have to vote for a President this year as well.  And you have to keep this up for 63 days!!  No wonder Valentines Day is a 1 1/2 months after New Year’s.  Otherwise, we would all revolt.

So here’s my plan of attack this year.

1.Schedule nail & hair appointments now for first pick of dates & times.  This eliminates that last minute, frantic ‘squeeze-in to make a party’ appointments.  Let’s face it, you need this done to handle the rest.

2.Decide this week on Halloween costume so I have time to work out problems & pick-up necessary items.

3.Pick holiday cards & start addressing envelopes now.  Starting early is much better than writing them Christmas Eve as I have done the past years.

4.Order holiday stamps on line.  My time & gas are worth the $5 of shipping.

5.Mark on my calendar a day to decorate for Thanksgiving & Christmas.  By designating the time, you can make it into a family, fun event that might even become a cherished tradition.

6.Set-up a gift wrap station to make wrapping a cinch.  And I’ll pre-wrap hostess gifts so I’m never late to a party.  Well, at least it won’t be because I’m wrapping.

7.I have a few parties I take in homemade dishes so I’m going to select those this week.  That way, I can test it out first…..I like trying new dishes….& I can be sure to have the proper carry-in container.

8.Spend Thanksgiving evening planning out my 3AM-2PM Black Friday shopping extravaganza.  It’s a tradition!

9.Schedule time to pack, go by the bank, gas up the car, clean the car, tidy my home, pay my bills, file, laundry & iron before leaving town.  I blogged about this October 1, 2012 so I have to do it.

10.Keep Sunday’s totally devoted to R&R.  I’m going to need it.

The theme to this attack is scheduling these things so they aren’t an afterthought.  The holidays are a fun, crazy time we all seem to manage to live through each year.  They can be cherished as well with a little forethought.  What is one activity you are going to plan for this holiday season instead of muddling your way through?  Share on Styled & Organized Living Facebook Page.