One of my all-time favorite quotes is from Mother Teresa—“If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” It made such an impression on me that I printed it and had it made into a plaque that I hang in our kitchen. I love the message because I really do believe that we as parents can make the biggest impact on our kids' lives.
With Thanksgiving upon us, it also reminds me why I like to have such a big celebration each year—to give thanks for the gift of my family. Across the country, millions of people will be preparing a Thanksgiving feast for their friends and families. As lovely as this sounds, those of us that are busy—stuffing and roasting the turkey, rolling out pie crusts, polishing the silver (does anyone still do that!?), not to mention shopping for all that food and then going into a cleaning frenzy before our guests arrive—know that the holidays are wonderful but they sure are a lot of work!
This year you can change the way you approach Thanksgiving and the entire holiday season by choosing to stress less and enjoy the process more. Mighty Mommy shares seven tips to take the hectic out of your holidays so you can enjoy more time with your family.
Tips For a Stress-Free Holiday Season
- Tip #1: Include Your Family
- Tip #2: Split Your Shopping Trips
- Tip #3: Keep It Simple
- Tip #4: Maintain Daily Rituals
- Tip #5: Practice Holiday Meditations
- Tip #6: Keep Track of Holiday Hacks
- Tip #7: Count Your Blessings
Let’s look at each one a bit closer.
Tip #1: Include Your Family
When I have a big project at work, our team gathers in advance to set our goals and assign individual tasks. Planning and prepping for a big family holiday such as Thanksgiving is no different. Set a time when your family can get together to discuss the menu as well as brainstorm other aspects of the day such as shopping, decorations, activities, etc.
See also: 6 Ways to Improve Family Communication
In our family, I used to be the designated holiday planner but now one of my daughters (a recent grad as a graphic designer) has gladly taken on this position because she enjoys putting her artistic touch on everything from the menu to the tablescape.
Half of my eight kids participate in our Thanksgiving planning meeting. Believe me, not all of them are jumping up and down to sign up for jobs like peeling potatoes or helping to clean bathrooms before company arrives, so I try to make sure they all have input in picking tasks they enjoy doing as well as fit what they're capable of contributing. By including my family in the planning process, we are all on the same page as far as what expectations are for tasks and responsibilities, we stay organized, and I don’t have to shoulder the entire holiday by myself. In addition, it teaches my kids how to participate in a big family gathering and it’s a chance to work together as a team.
Tip # 2: Split Your Shopping Trips
One of the most daunting parts of hosting a huge meal like Thanksgiving is the shopping. A way to keep this more manageable is to split your shopping list into two trips. The first trip, which ideally would be done a week before Thanksgiving (when grocery stores get mobbed), is for nonperishables—canned goods, baking items such as flour and sugar, spices, paper goods, anything that doesn't need to be fresh. (But do plan ahead on your turkey!) Then make a second smaller and easier trip the week of Thanksgiving to grab things like fruit, salad fixings, cream, etc. Breaking the shopping down can ease your burden and help to keep things in your kitchen streamlined.
Tip #3: Keep It Simple
I am a complete Food Network junkie. I love lounging on a rainy Saturday afternoon in front of the TV to watch all the latest cooking shows where I can grab ideas so that I can surprise my family with new recipes and baked goodies. When it comes to parties and holidays I tend to want to pull out all the stops with an impressive spread that will keep my family talking for weeks. That’s great if you have lots of time, energy, and money, but it can also raise your anxiety levels when you have the added pressure of trying to pull off a showstopper of a meal. Instead, try to keep it simple. You can still serve a tasty feast even if you eliminate some of the bells and whistles.
Stick with recipes that have fewer ingredients and fewer steps to make. If you have go-to recipes that you know your family loves, you can even modify these with a hint of fresh herbs or real whipped cream on a dessert to make it a little more special without adding too much extra fuss.
Tip #4: Maintain Daily Rituals
Most of us try to squeeze an extra hour or two out of our days throughout the year, but when holiday time is in full swing we try and double that. That's a recipe for burnout.
Instead, be sure to hold onto your daily rituals during this busy time of year. If you like to read for half an hour before bed, or go to the gym right before dinner, don’t give it up in favor of yet another holiday chore. Our everyday practices help calm and center us and this sets a good example for our children.
Tip #5: Practice Holiday Meditations
The holidays are a time of celebration and gathering with family and friends, a time to remember and appreciate our many blessings. But unfortunately sometimes our schedules are so jam-packed that we completely miss the point of why we celebrate to begin with. This year you can add a fresh, healthy twist to your holidays by meditating—you can do it alone, but I highly recommend you include your entire family. Meditation is a great way to enhance your sense of joy and peace, so this holiday season make time to take a deep breath, go inward, and refuel. You can do this as a family right after breakfast with holiday music playing softly in the background.
Get into the habit of appreciating and sharing with your kids the things that make our lives so much easier on a daily basis—especially the gift of good health and a loving family.
You can also introduce your family to a guided meditation which brings a visual component to a very simple deep breathing exercise. Trying this wonderful gratitude meditation for Thanksgiving.
Tip #6: Keep Track of Holiday Hacks
Even before I had eight kids, I have always been a list person. Not only do I thrive by keeping a to-do list on hand at all times, I also find it helpful to record any tips and tricks that went over especially well for big events like birthday parties, traveling for vacation, and even celebrating the holidays.
Try keeping a notebook from year to year, detailing your own secrets for a sacred, successful, and stress-free celebration. Not only will this be helpful, but you may find it quite entertaining as well when you re-read it throughout the years.
One thing I have taken advantage of for the past few years are all the holiday hack tips that you can find online. Some of my favorite for the holidays are:
- Use a cooler as an extra fridge. With all the extra jars of olives, bottles of wine etc., you store them in a cooler in the garage filled with ice packs.
- The night before Thanksgiving, pull out all your plates and platters, and put post-it notes with the names of the dishes that will be served on each of the plates. It saves you from second guessing when crunch time comes.
- Bake stuffing in a muffin tin. It shortens the cooking time and ensures the stuffing is crispy outside and moist within.
Tip #7: Count Your Blessings
There's nothing wrong with kids being grateful for material objects, as long as that doesn't supersede gratitude for the love and support of the people in their lives. My kids will be the first to tell you that I will comment, out of the blue, about the blessings we all have. When I’m up to my eyebrows in laundry, I’ll say something like, “Thank goodness for my washer and dryer, I don’t know how my ancestors washed little boy’s pants over a rock in a stream!”
It's like when we lose power due to a storm, that's when we start to realize how blessed we are to have electricity every day. But why wait for the storm? Get into the habit of appreciating and sharing with your kids the things that make our lives so much easier on a daily basis—especially the gift of good health and a loving family.
How do you keep your holiday stressors under control? Share your thoughts in the comments section at http://ift.tt/1zMEe2L, post your ideas on the Mighty Mommy Facebook page. or email me at mommy@quickanddirtytips.com. Visit my family-friendly boards at http://ift.tt/1wyJKr5
Image of Family Thanksgiving © Shutterstock
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