You Can De-Stress the Holidays this Year - Here's How to Do It

Hi friend -

So, it's November - and less than 3 weeks until Thanksgiving (in the US). Which means that Christmas is right around the corner. How did that happen?!?! For me, it feels like summer just ended.

But the reality is that the holiday season is upon us, which means that I need to get my brain in gear and make a plan - before stuff just starts happening.

And I'm guessing that you need to do that too.

Because, let's be honest, the season from Thanksgiving through Christmas and New Year's Day can be one of the most stressful times of the year for wives and moms. Our regular busy schedules don't slow down, but lots of new and tiring tasks get heaped onto our already-busy plates.

Shopping, cooking, cleaning, wrapping, entertaining, traveling - and on and on. I feel exhausted just thinking about it.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Christmas and the holiday season don't have to be a time of bushels of stress and barrels of work. It can be different this year.

But - you have to make a plan. And to help you get started, I've got three steps that I want you to take this week - before things start to get crazy. And I've got a new resource that will help you make a complete plan for slowing down, taking care of yourself, and enjoying your family throughout the holidays.

If you're ready to create that kind of holiday season this year, here are three things you need to do as soon as possible - preferably over the next week:

• Figure out what you and your husband really want. What does an ideal Thanksgiving, Hanukkah or Christmas look like to you? What does it look like to your husband? What does the entire holiday season look like to each of you? Take some time to talk about it openly and honestly. Be really honest about your own thoughts and feelings, and really listen to what he has to say.

Don't be surprised if your ideal holidays and his look very different. For example, decorating the entire house may be important to you, but mean nothing to him. And watching football with his family after Thanksgiving dinner may get him in the holiday spirit, but bore you to tears. So bring all of your hopes and expectations out in the open, and encourage him to do the same.

• Establish your priorities. Now that you know what's important to both of you, establish priorities for your family. Make a list of the three or four things that are most important to each of you - and designate those things as your priorities for the season.

Maybe for your husband it's spending relaxed time as a family and choosing gifts that will allow the family to have fun together. Maybe for you it's starting the holiday season with a clean, uncluttered house and entertaining small groups of friends. Let each other know, "This is what's most important to me over the next few weeks."

Then agree to honor each other's priorities and make them happen. And recognize that, in doing this, each of you will probably have to forgo a few of your "favorites." If you don't, you'll be right back to trying to do everything and driving yourself crazy.

• Let go of things that don't fit your priorities. This is where things start to get hard. In order to create the kind of holiday season you and your husband envision for your family, some things will have to go. You can't attend every event, accept every invitation, make every gift, organize every craft, and decorate every inch of the house – not if you want to relax a bit and enjoy the things you determined are most important.

Obviously, some activities are required – your children's Christmas program, your boss's holiday drop-in, shopping for gifts, and cooking holiday meals. But some things aren't required. So you may have to say no to your neighbor's dessert buffet, your aunt's Christmas cantata, your daughter's friend's skating party, or your sister-in-law's all-day shopping trip.

Because you can't do everything, and this year you want to do the things that will make the season fun, relaxing, and memorable for your family.

These aren't the only steps you'll need to take, but they're the first steps you need to take. Without them, your plan for a sane holiday season will never get off the ground.

Once you've taken these steps and laid the foundation, I've got some other tips for you - simple ways to reduce stress, take care of your health (and sanity!), enjoy your marriage, and maintain a little bit of a sexy vibe in the midst of the hustle and bustle!

I've put them all together in a 28-page ebook - Peace. Love. Joy. - 75 Simple Ways to Take Care of Your Health, Happiness, and Marriage this Holiday Season. It will show you how to slow down, focus on what's most important, use simple hacks to save time and energy, take care of your health, and enjoy your marriage - all during the busiest time of the year!

And you can get it for 50% off (just $4) between now and Wednesday (11/7) when you use the code FRIEND50 at checkout. (If you miss the date to use that discount, you can always use the code FRIEND25 to save 25% off anything in my shop.)

If you and I want to de-stress the holidays this year - to live with more joy and purpose - we need to start now and make a plan. Are you going to do it? Reply and let me know - I'd love to hear from you.

Gaye

P.S. Check out these three steps for de-stressing the holidays this year and get 50% off my new ebook, Peace. Love. Joy., that will help you create the kind of holiday season you really want this year. Just use the code FRIEND50 at checkout before Wednesday, November 7 at midnight.