What is it about the holidays that stress me out? Oh, right, everything. I’m stretched thin with my usual routine. Now add cooking a Thanksgiving meal for the extended family and hosting it at my house, cooking A Christmas Eve meal and hosting at my house, cooking for Christmas Day, and all the extra events, get-togethers and Christmas parties we attend. If you’re stressed too, I have 5 Tips for a Stress Free Holiday Season that have worked for me. Really.
5 Tips for a Stress Free Holiday Season
Check out recipes in advance.
Have you gotten everything ready to prepare your Thanksgiving meal and discovered you are missing one or two ingredients? Have you already gone to the store several times or sent a hassled family member? List every dish you plan to prepare for the meal in advance. Then go over the list of ingredients and check your cupboards. Write down each ingredient you need as you find it and place the list in your purse. Remember, the list won’t do any good if it stays home. While you’re checking, gather all the baking items/dishes you’ll need and check the dishes, table clothes and decor you’ll be using. You can see if anything needs to be replaced or purchased so there are no last minute surprises.
Set up a Holiday Gift Wrap Station.
Purchase gift wrap, tape, ribbons, gift tags and whatever you need to wrap presents. Place everything, along with a pair of scissors, in a large basket. You’ll have all the supplies in one place, saving time when you’re ready to wrap. Feeling on top of the game? Wrap each present as soon as you bring it home. I have to admit, I’m not that good.
Make desserts to Freeze.
When you have spare time (I know it’s rare!), whip up easy cookie, pie or cakes and store them in the freezer. Properly stored, most desserts will last 6 to 8 weeks. If you need ideas, try this delicious Peanut Butter Candy Bar Pie. Don’t want to cook? Pick up a container of cookie dough and store it in the freezer.
Make a gift list in advance.
Make a list of all the people you have to shop for and add a suggestions for presents beside their names. Keep the list with you. When you see a gift they would like, purchase it and add a check mark by their name. It’s also a good idea to keep a few small gifts at home for anything unexpected, like a last minute gift exchange.
Make sure the House smells good.
Whether it’s unexpected visitors or scheduled guests, I want my house to smell “clean.” That’s not always possible when you have an infant, kids or pets. I may not have time to do more than spot clean my house, but I can make sure it doesn’t smell like diapers or cat litter. What’s my secret? I use Febreze’s Holiday line in Fresh Twist Cranberry and Fresh Cut Pine. The scents are available in AirEffects, Candles, Fabric Refresher and NoticeABLES. It keeps my house smelling fresh without an overpowering scent and is safe around my pets!
Want to know more about Febreeze or just have a good laugh? Beatboxer Doug E. Fresh and Instagram star @ItsDougThePug have made a hilarious new video about the #12StinksofChristmas. They have united in their quest to take the stink out of the holidays. Last year, Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch brought us the first version of the #12Stinksof Christmas. In sticking with the theme, Febreeze has remixed a funky beat-boxing ’90s-style reboot, with the stars in matching track suits. Because, come on, how cute is a dog in a track suit?
“Their hip-hop music video collaboration brings to life the stinks of the season, highlighting how Febreze is the only solution tough enough to eliminate unwanted odors this holiday season.” You can check out Febreze’s latest hit here.
You can also see them the “The #12Stinks of Christmas” digital campaign including iRadio ads, Snapchat, digital ads and special content on Febreze’s social channels Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
What is your best tip for preparing for stress free holidays?
Good-smelling house definitely gives a stress-free Christmas. These tips makes me really feel that Christmas is just around the corner.
My best tip is to always keep a bottle of chilled wine!! Lol. Seriously tho, great ideas. We always bake lots of homemade cookies and freeze them and then just pop them out of the freezer when needed. Fresh homemade cookie! I try to do my shopping and wrapping early too.
I never thought of freezing desserts in advance, but now I have some great ideas for this holiday! I have time now to make them.
I always travel for the holidays. We don’t serve as hosts, which helps relieve the stress.
I keep thinking I need to look up my recipes. I can’t believe Thanksgiving will be here next week! Time is just flying!
Great list of ideas of how to make the holidays a little less stressful. I hate how worked up I can get during this time of year instead of just letting myself have fun!
Febreze is a staple any time of the year, but most especially when comopany is coming over. And hurrah for holiday tips that contribute to being stress-free!
Thanks for these tips. I host every year and have for over a decade and it gives me much stress lol. Will try these ideas this year.
Stress free holiday! That’s definitely my goal for this year! I think it’s important to plan things ahead, from the recipes to the gifts! A good smelling home would be a lovely bonus!
OMG I love how they used Dougie Fresh in the promo commercial! Too cute and funny super creative!
I always prepare and plan in advance. If I don’t know what I’m cooking, the day is ruined lol
Making desserts to freeze is a great idea! Don’t know why I’ve never thought of that!
Awesome! Stress free sounds amazing. It has already been a pretty hard month!
These are all great ways to stay stress free for the holidays. It is much easier if you make the desserts ahead of time and I love the idea of the gift wrap station. Thanks for sharing the list and the awesome Febreeze video.
These are some good tips.
I love a good-smelling house!
Anything I can do in advance helps out the holidays a lot!! Great tips!!
The holidays can be so stressful. These are great tips to help make it flow a little easier. I’ll definitely be doing some baking and freezing ahead of time to save on time for other things!
You’re so right! The holidays are so stressful. Ugh, I really wish they weren’t but your tips will be helpful!
OMG you had me at that pug! Too cute! 😀 Your tips will definitely help taking the stress out of the holiday season.
Those Febreze holiday scents are my favorite!
Keeping the house smelling good is a top priority. I love Doug E. Fresh, I met him as a teenager once. This commercial is too cool!
These are some great tips. I love throwing things in the freezer for later.
One of the things that have kept me stress free during the Holiday season is to make a shopping list with a budget. I do now go over my budget and from there I can plan what to get everyone without going broke.
These are all great tips. This year I am having a girls day wrapping party. We are going to eat, drink and wrap all of our gifts.
These are some great tips. I use Febreeze year round to keep our home smelling good since we have pets!
Have two cats and one older dog in the house, we rely on Febreeze products to help keep things smelling clean. Love it.
The holidays can be so overwhelming. I try to keep it organized with lists. Some need to get done right away and some are for the bigger picture.
Making sure the house smells good is a must for us. We have 4 dogs and 3 cats so I am very aware of how the house smells at all times!
OMG freezing desserts is GENIUS! Why have I never thought of that? Thank you, I’m totally doing that this year and not killing myself over entrees plus dessert all in the span of 48 hours like usual. 🙂
The holidays always seem to be more stressful than they ought to be, but you’ve provided some really good tips on alleviating a lot of that. Making a gift list in advance is one thing I definitely need to do – and follow through on – I’m sure it would be a big time saver and stress reducer.
These are great tips to stay organized. The holidays are a time where I am always overwhelmed. I love the idea of freezing desserts ahead of time, and I am always making lists.
These are great tips for a stress-free holiday season. The holidays can come with so much stress and anxiety. It’s important to take steps to simplify the whole season.
Great tips! I love the holidays, all the food, the warmth of family, but… I hate the mess. I guess proper planning will help reduce the stress. I like the idea of frozen desserts. We can make a huge batch in advance!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I love the holidays, but they do stress me out to the Nth degree. I need to try some of these.
Oh you definitely have to plan in advance. It’s sort of what I like to call ‘organized chaos’. We’ve been hosting the big meals for a few years now and have developed a good routine. Using the freezer is a good tip. With so many different foods cooking, Febreze comes in handy too!
If I let myself think of everything I have to do during this season, I can easily get stressed. I’m hosting several huge dinners and I love doing it. These tips will help me make it through and enjoy this beautiful holiday season.