ideas for stress-free holidays

Maybe that title is misleading! Part of managing everything in December — especially if you’re the one who makes things happen in the family — is stress. It’s unavoidable. BUT we can use some shortcuts to alleviate some of the stress. How can we take away some of the pressure while still enjoying the beauty and happiness this season offers?

1. Make a plan, write it down, and post it for everyone to see

When we had a bunch of family members coming into town one year, I was very nervous about how everything would go. Like all kids, ours can be unpredictable, and I figured they’d do better if they knew what to expect in advance. As you can see below, I made a handwritten schedule for each day, listing a few activities — even if it was just baking cookies — and planning some of our meals. I was surprised how much this helped. It kept things *kind of* on track instead of going off the rails completely.

2. Use store-bought treats and baking mixes

A few weeks ago we had some friends over, and we went caroling in our neighborhood together. It was enough work trying to clean the house and corral the kids — I didn’t want to do any cooking or baking. So we ordered pizzas! I felt like I was breaking a cardinal rule, but no one minded at all. It was super casual and relaxed. I also bought some cookies from Trader Joe’s and made cocoa in the crock pot. Easy-peasy.

For the past few years we’ve given homemade cookies to our neighbors. I wanted to do the same thing this year but didn’t have the time or energy to make a bunch of cookies and decorate them. So I borrowed my friend’s brownie recipe and made four batches!

Combine one box Ghirardelli brownie mix with egg, oil, and water,
following the directions on the box. Add half a bag of Ghirardelli chocolate chips
or butterscotch chips. Bake at 325 for 35-40 minutes, depending on pan size. (Use convect option if you can.) Let cool for about 5 minutes and then refrigerate the whole pan (without
cutting the brownies) for at least two hours.

I sampled quite a few of the brownies, and they were delicious!

When they were done, I put them in tins I bought at Home Goods, tucked our family holiday card on top, wrapped them in brown paper, and delivered them. Handing the packages to our friends and neighbors gave me a lot of joy!

3. If you want to make homemade gifts, choose the easy options

I LOVE giving people homemade gifts, but it can be so much work. Luckily, like the baking mixes, there are easy gifts you can make with a handful of ingredients. My favorite are these sugar scrubs. I make them every year for the kids’ teachers. For the jars below, I made the labels using chalkboard tape (from Michaels, of course) and a white pen. And I added essential oils to the scrubs for an extra kick.

This year I’m going to try using lavender essential oil. We have some lavender growing outside, and I want to tie a sprig of fresh lavender to each jar.

I hope these ideas will help alleviate some of your stress this season. Cheers to happy holidays with our loved ones! I wish you a very joyful season.