Holiday stress can take the joy out of the holidays quicker than any other natural emotion. Since women are still the largest group of individuals who plan for the holidays, they are the ones who are hit the hardest. Or are they?
Actually, kids notice the overwhelming feelings and conflict during the busy season, and they also become frustrated and sad. Plan ahead and organize to alleviate holiday stress for the whole family by getting the kids involved!
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1. Going Away? Make Plans Now: For many, holiday time means traveling, so get started as soon as possible. Even if you start a little late on planning, you can find a few good airline prices as well as reasonable bus and cruise fares. When people wait until the last minute to secure tickets, sometimes various companies have last-minute cancellations due to weather, illness or a change of mind.
Before arriving, research the area you want to visit. Be sure to check out what meals are planned on any trip and find out if you might be able to substitute a healthier meal for a regular one; keep in mind that kids gain weight just as quickly as anyone else does this season.
2. Stay on Your Budget: There's no need to overspend. It might create a little extra work in the beginning to price out each item, but it will save a huge chunk of time in the end. Researching prices of gifts online is one of the easiest ways to make comparable deals. If you find an item online and see that it is significantly different from the store price, you might order it from the online store. Things to keep in mind are the shipping and handling fees of an online store, which may make the walk-in stores more reasonable after all.
3. Better Safe Than Sorry: Try to begin shopping today. Make a list and truly check it twice before your shopping trip. Write down colors, sizes, manufacturer names and even the names of stores that might carry the item you are shopping for, along with a couple of replacement gifts should your first priority not work out. Avoid last-minute shopping and don't make quick and haphazard decisions that neither you or the individual will appreciate. Remember to ask for several suggestions from the kids. Have them write them on a piece of paper but don't let them know which one you will buy -- and don't make any promises.
4. Shopping Guilt Free: Go into a store with a specific gift in mind and stay on track. If the store doesn't have what you want, don't waste your time trying to replace it. Move on to the next item without feeling guilty. After you return home, take a little time to rethink what you might want to replace the unfound gift with and go out again another day. This provides you with an opportunity to reevaluate the situation and maybe call and reserve a specific item at another store before you brave the weather, traffic and other shoppers. One of the greatest gifts an individual can receive is a box of wonderful fruit. Make it special by finding a store that will add healthy nuts and even specific fruits to the order.
5. Add a Tag or Initials to the Wrapped Gifts: Cut down on spending by using the same wrapping paper for many of the gifts, especially if they are leaving your house. Don't forget to tie or stick on tags with an extra piece of Scotch tape; you can also turn the package over and jot down the initials of the gift recipient in the right-hand corner. This ensures it goes to the right person if the tag somehow comes off. If it's being mailed from somewhere else, you can ask that the shipper do the same on the outside of the box (add initials on the back of the box).
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