As a mom during the holiday season it is important to remember that you are not the slave and you do not need to do everything. I always remind my grown children that MOM stands for Master of Management. So if you are a MOM I invite you to use my 5 tips below so you enjoy a stress free holiday season.
1. Delegate the set up and cleanup. You do not have to do everything. Assign each family member a chore for holiday set up or cleanup. If you feel guilty assigning a chore then have everyone draw a chore out of a hat. After the holiday meal and before everyone leaves for the day ensure they have completed their chores. Remember, your grown children will respond to the same positive words of encouragement that they did when they were little. People love receiving praise regardless of their age so don’t forget to praise each person as they complete their chore. You may want to have a small basket with homemade breads or little gifts that they receive as their reward for completing their chore. However, remember which child growing up always required following up after and make sure they show you that they completed their chore.
2. Go Potluck. Nowhere is it written that you must do all the holiday cooking or incur the expense of feeding a large group of people. Pick the item you enjoy making the most such as the baking and decorating of the Christmas cookies or baking the turkey. Then allow each of the families in attendance the opportunity to pick the side items that they enjoy making and have them bring that item to the holiday meal. There will always be someone that says they do not cook. You can appoint this person to bring the drinks, ice, napkins and plastic ware. If someone forgets to bring an item resist the urge to rush into the kitchen and make a replacement item. There is always so much food wasted at holiday time that one or two forgotten items won’t be missed.
3. Pets. If your household is like mine, everyone owns a pet and wants to bring them to the house for the Holidays. You need a plan on how to deal with the pets that do not get along. If you do not have a fenced in backyard you may want to request that the pets stay home. If pets are visiting, you will want to establish rules on feeding the pet’s table food. When everyone understands and acknowledges the rules on feeding table scraps to the pets there will be no surprises or crises later.
4. Gift Budget. Holiday time can be stressful for everyone regardless of his or her income. I encourage you to have a frank discussion regarding holiday gift giving. Set a price limit on how much you will spend per person and respect it. You may want to draw names so that people only need to buy one present.
5. Entertainment. Appoint one family member or appoint the children to decide the family entertainment for the day. This should be something FREE. Getting everyone to go outside for a family game of football or even just lying around in front of the television watching movies can be fun. If your family is a board game family have each family bring one board game and then set up different stations throughout the house. Have people playing games at each station. After a certain time they can move to the next station.
When everyone pitches in with the food preparation and cleanup, you will have a stress free day. When everyone knows the rules on pets there will be no surprises. When everyone knows the schedule for eating, cleanup, napping, and playing games the day will run smoothly. Holidays are for enjoying time together. This will be possible when you employ my 5 Tips for a Stress Free Holiday Season. Employ my 5 Tips for a Stress Free Holiday Season.
Coach Jaynine coaches Small Business Owners. They will take their business to the next level by increasing their visibility while establishing their credibility in the community by using the leverage power of the internet while employing proven systems and strategies. Jaynine ensures small business owners and determined individuals turn their Dreams into Reality. For more information go to www.dreamcatcher-lifecoaching.com
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