By Rebeca
The holiday season is now in full force, are you ready for it? Keep calm and take a deep breath! There are so many seasonal responsibilities happening all at once, it can easily become overwhelming. When thinking about the various holiday parties and activities that are on your list, there are several ways to avoid the stress and stay organized to fully enjoy Christmas and all it has to offer.
How You Prepare and Stay Organized for the Holiday Party Season
Be a Coordinator
There are many different things going on during this time of year. There’s holiday shopping, Christmas baking, sending holiday cards, family dinners, and so much more. Everyone has different holiday traditions and as families come together with varying schedules, it can be a challenge to get everyone together at the same time and place. One lasting tradition is decorating the home and Christmas tree. Start off by planning a date for this endeavor that works well with everyone in the home. Then, get all of your holiday accents out and do a quick inventory check. Make sure that you have all of the essential holiday decor. If you see that something is missing, you can replace it before your set date. Follow the same path when scheduling holiday parties. You want to pick a date that fits best for everyone you wish to invite.
Write it down
Secure your responsibilities and expectations by writing down all of the things that are on your mind. Whether you are hosting a party, attending one, or both, there are heaps of tasks to finish. Need decorations for the house or ingredients for a dish to pass? Whatever it may be, having it written down will help to organize all that needs to be completed in one place. A good way to stay extra organized is by making separate lists for different categories. For example, have separate lists for groceries, decor, gifts, and so on. Also, prioritize your to-do’s. Having the item at the top of the list needed to be completed first. Chip away at each item until they are all completed!
Make Entrees Early
There are many varying food-related items that can be prepared well before the actual date of when you need it. Baking Christmas treats is a monumental aspect to have for holiday gatherings. No matter what it is, sugar cookies, apple pie, gingerbread house pieces, snickerdoodles, and so on, they can all be made and then freeze until needed. You can find more tips to freeze desserts here. Freezing desserts doesn’t stop there, either. There are several side dishes that can be put together days before you are going to cook them. One hardy option that will store well is green bean casserole. Mix all of the ingredients together, except for the crunchy topping, store in an air-tight container, and refrigerate until you need it. Do all that you can to ensure the holidays are filled with only joy!
Ask for Help
As we are well into the Christmas season, asking for help might be a good option to be able to complete everything on your list before the events are here. To provide for a smoother preparation you can simply ask others to bring a dish to your event. Also, you may want to suggest having a Secret Santa/White Elephant gift exchange because everyone will then only need to purchase one meaningful gift instead of one small gift for each person. It also makes for a fun holiday tradition.
Another way to take some of the pressure off of hosting for the holidays is to ask guests about having the gathering later in the day. There are several benefits of starting a gathering at 3 in the afternoon versus 11 in the morning. It will give you extra time to prepare and aid your guests if they had other commitments that day, too. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if – it is a stressful time of year!
Involve the Kids
Looking for a way to keep the kids busy and useful? Put them to work making these Candy Christmas Tree Treats. They are easy to prepare and do not make a mess! Now add an individual Christmas Tree Treat at each place setting. You can set them in the middle of each plate or use as a place card holder. Just lean a small place card up against your yummy Christmas Tree! #toocute
Have the responsibilities of seasonal parties, events, and endeavors on your mind as soon as possible. The holidays come in a flash and if you aren’t prepared or know what needs to be done, you might spiral out of control. Be organized with tasks, get things done as far in advance as you can, and ask for help. Regardless of the hustle and bustle that this season brings, Christmas will be here before you know it and everything will be perfect or at least, perfect enough!
Party Hearty!
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