Transformation Tuesday: The Hectic Holiday (Ways To Stay Calm)

Welcome to another Transformation Tuesday here at Createyou86.  Can you believe that Thanksgiving is already over?  You're probably getting all of your other holiday decorations out right about now, and getting ready for Christmas, Hanukkah, or whatever holiday you celebrate.  We all know how hectic the holiday's can be, and that it can cause more than a headache.  This post will be all about reminding you of ways to stay calm during the holidays.

1. Start Early!
I always think....ohhhh Christmas is (insert number here) days/weeks away, i'll have plenty of time to do all of my shopping, and everything else.  Guess what....it never ends up that way....it never fails that i am still wrapping presents on Christmas Eve before or after our other festivities, and i always think to myself "I'll do better planning next year."
START EARLY!  Save yourself the headache of hurrying to wrap or buy presents. There are several great days to make very cheap purchases such as: Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday/Cyber Week.  If you order online it takes away the hurry, and rush, and you can buy at your own pace.  Also if you order on these days or even before these days you should receive the products way before Christmas, and be able to wrap them, and have them done, and be able to forget about them until you put your presents under the tree.

2.  Keep A List
Do you stress about what to buy for people around the holidays?  Keeping a small notebook with list of gifts for people in your family or things that you might like throughout the year (while your in the store looking at them) in your handbag or on your person is an easy way to not stress about presents.  That way when the time comes to purchase you can simply pull out your notebook, and check off presents that you have purchased. You can also keep a checklist of other activities such as creating holiday cards, recipes, and anything else essential to making your holiday great!

3. Keep It Simple
The holiday's are all about "It's the thought that counts" right?  So why not keep it simple.  If you are still stressing about presents consider this simple plan for friends, yourself, or even your entire family.  
Something they want
Something they need
Something to wear
Something to read.

4. Calendar
Sit down before December (probably toward the end of October), and create a calendar of events for the month.  You could plan out when to get your tree, decorating the tree, decorating the rest of the house, when you need to have cards written by, when to send them out, when sales will be at certain stores, when to cook food, when to wrap presents, and any other events which you will be attending.

We hope that this short list helps to take some of the stress out of your holiday season.  

What do you think is the most stressful part of the holiday season?  Let us know in the comments below!