I feel like I have a split personality during the Christmas season. At the first of December I am Andy Williams singing,”It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the year.” I blast the Christmas tunes, pin every beautiful dish from Pinterest, and string lights on every wall in my house. By mid-December something changes in me. I am starting to feel the stress and THE GRINCH starts to come out in me. The toys, the parties, the bags! The food, the shopping, the tags! I start to hate the whole Christmas season. But unlike the Grinch, I do know the reason! There is a lot of pressure on moms to make Christmas the most magical, perfect time of the year.
Our guest this week, Kathi Lipp, author of “Get Yourself Organized for Christmas: Simple Steps to Enjoying the Season,” said the problem is not Christmas. The problem is the expectations we PUT UPON OURSELVES. It is possible to truly enjoy this season that was meant to bring families together and celebrate the birth of our Savior. In this FUN conversation, Kathi provides doable tips to stay sane and get organized for Christmas.
- How to deal with expectations for the Christmas holiday
- First things first: figure out what is MOST IMPORTANT to our family and the people that we are celebrating with
- Ask ourselves what about Christmas is MOST important to me
- Gathering Christmas stuff to determine what is needed
- Allow others to help
- When to start planning for Christmas
- Get dates on the calendar early for holiday celebrations
- Make a holiday mission statement
- The value of a Christmas binder
- Keep ALL Christmas items together
- How to set a Christmas budget
- Plan gifts as early as possible and then BE DONE.
- How to blend different holiday traditions within your family
- Planning December meals
- Kathi’s favorite Christmas hacks
- Online resources to get organized for Christmas
Mom Squad Challenge: Get the all your important holiday dates on the calendar!