3 Top Tips For A Smooth(er) Christmas Season…or for any season really

It’s the week of Christmas! A season where many people find themselves sometimes a little too busy. True, this may have eased a bit with the unpredictability of the pandemic, but many are still juggling the presents, the cooking, the gatherings, the wrapping up of work for the year and the goal setting on the horizon for the new year. It can still be a lot.

So how can we make the most of a season that is supposed to be filled with joy and cheer when we are so busy hustling just to get everything done in time?

Here are 3 things I remind myself to do throughout the year, but especially during this season.

1.  Plan and prepare.

Planning gives us an enormous return on our time, and is always a great investment. Whether you start buying Christmas gifts in September to help with cash flow and to ease stress, or you still have a few last minute things to pick up, making a quick plan is sure to save you time and stress. With regard to preparation, well, one of the quotes I like to use with my teams is:

"If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail."

2. Pick and choose.

As much as we may really like to, we can’t do it all. Choose carefully the things you want to incorporate into your life, from the events you commit to, to the length of your Christmas list. I have a family member who just chooses one event a day, and this method works for her. On the contrary, there was one Christmas many years ago where between our families, our friends and our companies, I had to buy and wrap 113 presents! Admittedly, I cried a few times that year, and vowed to put things in place to make it less stressful in the future.

3. Practice presence.

Instead of presents, consider giving the gift of presence. Simplifying the busyness of the season can allow us to be truly present in every moment. It would be a tragedy to miss the joy of each experience because we are preoccupied or too busy. Very often, there is magic in the small moments.

At the end of the day, even though we have goals and dreams and an idea of how we may like things to be, life can be so raw and real, it’s important for us to be growth minded and adaptable. This back and forth and up and down is part of the life experience. So amidst the joy and cheer and quirks and busyness, it is probable that we’ll have a perfectly imperfect Christmas :)

Wishing you a ton of love and joy,

Ruth