Have a less stressed, more blessed Christmas

Are you ready? That’s the question, isn’t it? It’s the weekend before Christmas and I’m going to guess many of us are feeling overwhelmed at the amount of “stuff” that still needs to be done.

We’re leading up to that final push to finish the endless “to do list.” House cleaning, tree up, decorations up, cookies and candies made, cards addressed and mailed, meal planning, shopping, gift wrapping and social schedule filled to the brim! My head hurts just writing that.

Want my advice? Stop. Enough is enough. Give yourself permission to stop working and start enjoying.

The marathon ends now. The “list” isn’t worth your sanity, your grace and ignoring your family for three weeks to have one perfect day.

It’s time to cut and run.

Take that list and cross off everything that’s not important. Here’s how you decide if it’s important: Ask yourself – am I putting my family’s needs for today first? Am I spending my time in ways that line up with my belief in the meaning of this holiday? Am I making memories for my family to cherish or tell to a therapist later?

Let’s clear those “to do’s” off the list.

House a mess? Only clean the areas guests will see or might be photographed. Make sure one bathroom is clean, the dining room table is clear and keep the dishes up. Dim the lights and light a scented candle. Put some music on and call it done.

Gifts to buy? It’s time for last minute ideas. Buy gift cards that can be redeemed anywhere. Send e-books or iTunes through email. Download photos and get photo mugs, calendars or get enlargements and frame them. To save time wrapping get gift bags and tissue paper and don’t leave it until Christmas Eve.

Set up a wrapping station and wrap some each day. Let the family help wrap. It doesn’t matter if the wrapping isn’t perfect because it’s going to be unwrapped in two seconds flat anyway.

No time to bake? Buy premade dough. You can even buy “blank” baked cookies for you and the kiddies to decorate. Is dinner stressing you out? Keep it simple and bake a turkey or ham with easy sides. It’s okay to use shortcuts or buy frozen.

Feeling frazzled? Be kind to yourself. Take some time to do something nice for you. Read a book, take a bath, have a cup of tea. Take a nutrition break.

In the season of butter and sugar you’ll feel better if you have some healthy meals in between all the treats. Drink water. Slow down. Breathe.

So what do you do with these precious few days before Christmas? Spend time with people who matter. Pick up the phone and call someone. Watch movies with hot chocolate and popcorn. Sing carols. Craft together, snuggle, take walks, go look at Christmas lights. Laugh together. Read stories together. Involve them. Love them. Make memories.

Here’s wishing you a very Merry Christmas from all of us at Divas On A Dime - Where Frugal Meets Fabulous! www.divasonadime.com Join us on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom.