With two weeks until Christmas, I’m knee-deep in errands – shopping for the ones I love and trying to find them the perfect gifts. Not only that, but I’m scrambling for last minute teacher gifts, classroom party supplies, decorations for the house and miscellaneous prep for my family’s visit next week. Throw in those everyday errands + tasks and no wonder people say that this time of year is just a bit crazier than the rest!
This holiday season, I’m really trying to maximize my time and use little life hacks to make the holiday hustle & bustle smoother. One thing’s for sure, caffeine always helps this mama out! I’m teaming up with Red Diamond Coffee & Tea to share 5 ways I’m making the holidays less stressful below. I hope that these little tricks and tips to relieve stress help you just as much as they are helping me!
*actual representation of how holiday madness can make me feel … This was captured during a very windy moment – bags were tossed about & hair was flying. Felt only natural!*
5 Tips to Relieve Stress this Holiday Season:
1. It’s Okay if Everything Doesn’t Go as Planned
During the holidays, I find that I hope & wish for everything to be just “perfect.” From the perfect gifts with their picture-perfect Pinterest worthy wrapping to the perfectly planned holiday-themed activities for my family’s Christmas visit, I seem to be piling a lot of expectations and requirements on my plate this year.
What’s funny is that I am NO perfectionist. I’m a fly by the seat of my pants type of person … but I sure wish I appeared as if I were a perfectionist when my neatly wrapped “perfect” gifts were presented to their recipients. Actual perfection is a pretty special and rare thing so when I was approached by Red Diamond to collaborate this holiday season and share their perfect cup of tea along with how I navigate the holidays, I jumped at the opportunity!
I really wanted to share with you all that it’s okay if your plans crumble or things fall through the cracks this holiday season. It’s okay if you didn’t “Martha Stewart” your house and the holiday decor is lackluster compared to your neighbors or the magazine you’re flipping through. I know mine is! But I still love it. And … I’m about 99.9% sure I’m going to forget something very important in the next few weeks but that’s okay.
The friends and family that I’m shopping for or are hosting this year love me most of all – and know me best! The saying “it’s the thought that counts” is so true and as long as I keep that in mind when I’m navigating my holiday to-do lists is all that matters. …. But I still hope I find everyone a really great gift!
2. Save Yourself a Trip and Order Online
This year, I’m ordering my wrapping paper, ribbons & bows, scotch tape & scissors all online. I’ve also been ordering all my groceries online lately. It’s so nice that everything I need to make dinner at home to snacks and drinks like Red Diamond Ready-to-Drink Tea can be delivered straight to my door. For the items that can’t be delivered to my home quickly, I’ll opt for curbside pick up at places I frequent such as Target. (The Christmas plates and teacher gifts I mentioned earlier? Both of those will be picked up this afternoon – saving me a several hour long trip!)
Being able to nix time-consuming errands like these give me more time to spend doing special things with my family this season.
3. Ask Your Family for Input
A friend of mine shared this tip for me because she knew I was hosting this holiday season. Everyone wants their Christmas to be truly special and each family member has different thoughts and feelings on what that entails. My friend recommended I ask everyone staying with us what they are looking forward to (or would like to experience) the most this Christmas. This is a great way to take into account what each person wants out of the holiday and try to make room for all of their wishes – knowing early on what they actually are.
3. A Glass of Afternoon Tea Is Always a Good Idea
My days have been ridiculously busy lately. Last minute work deadlines combined with holiday errands, I’m flying through my days at full speed.
I’ve been taking a page out of Queen Victoria’s book and stopping for a small break mid-afternoon each day. While I wish I had time to partake in her tradition of lovely afternoon teas with scones & savory treats, the holiday craziness just won’t allow it! But I do always combat my 3:00 sluggish feels with a jolt of caffeine. I’m a coffee person in the morning but a cup of hot tea or a glass of chilled sweet tea in the afternoons peps me up in no time! (And tastes refreshing too!)
Red Diamond’s Ready-to-Drink tea is made purely of tea leaves, water and sugar and nothing else. There are no powders, concentrates, or preservatives and is so fresh you’ll only find it in the refrigerator section. I love grabbing the smaller bottles when I’m on-the-go. At home, we keep the gallon size bottles in our fridge. Speaking of which, I’m going to go pour myself a glass right now!
4. Set the Mood with Holiday Music
Music is one of the biggest de-stressors for me. I have music playing in the background at home throughout pretty much 90% of my day. If I’m ever upset about something, finding the need to mega focus or just want to enhance a good mood, there’s a Spotify playlist to help with that! I love how Spotify breaks down all of the holiday hit tunes into different playlists depending on your tastes and moods.
When I’m hoping to focus “Christmas Peaceful Piano” is blasting on my stereo. While I’m getting ready for a night out or driving through town with a spiced latte in hand, “Christmas Classics” or “Merry & Bright” is jamming. I also love the “Christmas Cocktail Jazz” station for background music come dinner time. Music is a simple way to cheer yourself up and set a more festive mood throughout the holidays.
5. Celebrate the Spirit of the Season with Giving
I have so much focus on the needs of my family and home this time of year but it’s also important to remember the needs of other deserving families. There are so many simple ways to give back to others from Salvation Army donations to shopping for a child or family’s Christmas needs via Angel Tree. Other great ways to give back are by visiting or donating to your local food bank or soup kitchen and visiting the elderly at a nearby nursing home.
On a smaller scale, this is a great time of year to introduce yourself to new neighbors or send along a friendly gesture to acquaintances with offerings of a baked sweet treat or other homemade goodies. Last year, our across the street neighbors surprised us with cookies on Christmas Eve and I still haven’t forgotten the kind gesture. The little things go a long way during the holiday!
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Is there any special tips to relieve stress you are trying this season?! We all put so much emphasis on having the perfect Christmas and I’d love to hear your methods to the holiday madness too!
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And big thank you to Red Diamond Coffee & Tea for sponsoring this post and providing us with delicious teas to help tackle the hustle & bustle. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you to you all for supporting the brands that make Lone Star Looking Glass possible.
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xo, alice
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Loving this tips to relieve stress feature? Take a look here for more of my holiday favorites!
photos by Ban Avenue
