What does Christmas mean to you? A frenzy of mall trips, last minute wrapping, shipping, and packing, and standing in oh so long lines—or a relaxing way to spend time with your family, actually celebrating the joy of the season?
If you are lacking in holiday magic—or do a little too much shopping, and a little too little enjoying, read on for some clever ways to simplify your life this holiday season, and enjoy Christmas this year!
1. Start early: Plan ahead, and if you do have a lot of shopping to do, get started early. If you begin shopping in the summer, you can hit a ton of great sales, and getting everything done early means you can be home relaxing by the fire while everyone else is waiting in line at the mall.
2. Cut back: Do you really need to buy a gift for your sister’s husband’s mom? Really? Cutting back on your shopping list not only saves you money, it saves you time. (Don’t forget, once you purchase all those gifts and drag them home, you still need to wrap and ship them!)
3. Finish early: Plan on finishing all of your shopping and related chores by mid December. Getting the shopping done by the 15th or so frees you from the craziness at the mall, post office, and gives you the time to relax and enjoy the season.
4. Do something traditional with the family: Go caroling, go on a sleigh ride, or just drive around and look at Christmas lights. Whatever says “Christmas” to you and yours, set aside the time to enjoy doing something traditional together.
5. Let some things go: This year, do you have to bake dozens of cookies, make handmade ornaments, make a fancy Christmas Eve dinner (and Christmas breakfast), send custom photo cards to everyone you know, and create handmade, personalized place cards for everyone? Instead of trying to do it all, choose a few things that are important to you, and focus on those items.
6. Take the kids shopping: Sounds crazy, right? You shop ahead to be done, but still end up taking the kids to the mall. If you take your children shopping, and allow them to pick out gifts for a few select people, you let them experience the joy of giving—and it is very interesting to note the items that they choose to give. Let siblings purchase gifts for one another, or for a few special people in their lives.
7. Remember someone in need this year: Be an angel to a child or family that will otherwise miss out on the holiday season. You can find someone to buy for through local charities and churches. Helping someone in need really fuels your holiday spirit—and makes you aware of your own blessings as well.
8. Take advantage of technology: Shop online when you can—and use the internet to scope out prices and read reviews of gifts you are considering. You can even ship packages from home, using your computer to print and pay for labels. Let your fingers get a workout, and simplify your life by doing some of your Christmas planning online this year.
By starting early, making realistic plans, and working with the important people in your life, you can simplify your Christmas this year, and learn to love the holiday season once again.
Author Resource:
Denise Sanger is the owner of http://www.newcooltoysonline.com which features a fantastic selection of outdoor toys including ride-on toys and battery ride on toys. The company is located in Sunny Florida and may be reached at 877-950-7665.
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