Simplicity - the Key to Holiday Sanity

Although this time of year is meant to be filled with joy and celebration, the holiday season can often become overwhelming. By simplifying and focusing on what really matters you can create a more enjoyable and less stressful holiday experience for yourself and those around you. 

Following are a few suggestions to help reduce stress during this busy time of year.

Prioritize

Is all too easy to get caught up in the go, go, go of the holiday season. Try to slow down and identify the most important aspects of the holidays for you and your loved ones. Focus on activities and traditions that hold special meaning. Don't have any traditions yet? It's fun to create new ones! One of our favorite newer traditions is having friends over to sit around a simple gas fireplace on our deck, sipping hot drinks. Being together outside by a fire is cozy and relaxing and always stimulates interesting conversations. Ignore the pressure to do all things and go to all the parties. If you're not enjoying yourself, it’s not worth it.

Set Realistic Expectations

Avoid setting overly high expectations for yourself and others. Recognize that perfection is not necessary for a meaningful holiday season. If you're short on time, choose a few favorite holiday decorations. If spending hours decorating a tree is stressful for you, why not spend that time going out to cut a tree as a family? Or buy a potted tree that you'll plant in the spring. For a few years, our family chose to decorate a beautiful ficus tree that was growing in our living room. It was a fun change and the kids loved the novelty!

Simplify Meals

“Many Hands Make Light Work.” You don't have to do it all! Consider potluck-style meals instead of hosting the holiday gatherings entirely by yourself. Everyone gets to make their one or two favorite dishes and everybody can try something new. 

Gift Giving

Set reasonable budgets and focus on thoughtful, meaningful gifts this year. Presents don’t need to be expensive to be wonderful. And consider giving experiences instead of material goods. Future memories make great gifts! We don't have mountains of presents under the tree, but for the few gifts we do give, one of our family's favorite traditions is using fabrics instead of wrapping paper. We keep a collection of fun, brightly colored fabrics and ribbons that we use over and over. Even though our children are grown, when they come to visit for the holidays they still love choosing from the stack, wrapping their gifts at the last minute.

Scheduling

Avoid over committing. It’s alright to say “no thank you.” Plan downtime to relax and recharge, ensuring a balance between socializing and personal time. Prioritizing your health over the holidays will help ensure you’re able to enjoy the time you get to spend with friends and family. If hosting or attending parties is an energy drain for you, plan outdoor outings. Even a simple stroll through the woods or looking at lights in the neighborhood with friends or family creates lasting memories without all the stress of hosting a party.

 

Simplify Your Skincare Routine with Multitasking Products

Its hard to fit everything in and when things get hectic, we often skip steps in our normal skincare routine to save a few minutes, but what if you can use one product to accomplish two or more steps? For example, a sugar scrub, like our Detox Lemon Drop Brightening Sugar Scrub is loaded with shea butter and oils cleanses, exfoliates (removes dead skin) and moisturizes all at once. Or the Apple Chamomile Micellar Water- it’s a no-rinse makeup remover and facial cleanser in one.

Our latest invention- the Beauty Sleep Overnight Brightening Mask has been instantly and wildly popular, probably because it does so many things, all while we sleep! It replaces our nighttime moisturizer a few days a week, brightens skin tone, plumps, firms, smooths rough skin and leaves us soft and glowing in the morning. Angelina created this mask specifically for those of us who don’t feel we have time to add yet another step into our busy schedules. 

Practice Gratitude

The recommendation to practice gratitude is not new. But there is a reason you hear it so often: Because focusing on what you’re thankful for instead of what you don’t have will help to remind you that there are reasons to be happy each day. 

Keeping things simple during the holiday season can help to maintain your mental well-being and lessen stress. By emphasizing simplicity, you can focus on the core aspects of  holidays that bring joy and meaning without the chaos. 

Read Next: The Ritual of Self-Care