Thank you to The UPS Store for sponsoring this post. Make the holiday to-do list a little easier this season with The UPS Store!
I remember when the holidays were fun. Before the ripping and running. Before I was obsessed with having the perfect tree and house decorations. Before I had four kids to buy gifts for and four nieces and nephews I had to shop for as well.
The work that it takes for me to feel as if the holidays are a success, cause an immense amount of stress. There are days that I forget that want to actually have fun.
Through all of the stress and chaos, the thing that stays constant is no matter what, I’m still going to have the stuff to do. Even with my never-ending to-do list, there are still ways I can make sure that I am not totally stressed to the max.
From minimizing the to-do list to maximizing the help around, and to even shipping/sending gifts, here are a few ways you can reduce stress this holiday season.
Don’t be afraid to go with the flow
There is nothing wrong with having set holiday traditions or activities that you do with your family every year, however, if it’s causing you undue stress, it’s okay to let it go.
Holiday traditions are important, but as your family grows and gets older, they begin to evolve. This means that sitting around and watching “Rudolph” on Christmas won’t always happen. While you may end up skipping activities that you love, you may add new activities that will become a tradition that your family can do year after year.
Whether your family wants to travel for the holidays or have a party, come up with activities that don’t cause undue stress to yourself or other family members
Delegate activities
There is nothing wrong is asking or receiving help. You don’t have to do it all. During the holidays it’s important that your work, home, and family still run as efficiently as it has all year long.
This time of year is the perfect time to get all members of your family on board to help with as much as they can. Older children can help get the house ready for the holidays, while younger children are great at helping to take care of the little things around the house (such as minor cleaning and making sure their toys are put away).
If you don’t have anyone that can help you as needed, the other option is to pay someone. If there are just too many items on your list to take care of consider reaching out to friends or neighbors.
Take Care of Holiday Gifting with The UPS Store
If you have tons of gifts to ship like I do, then The UPS Store is the best place to get everything that you need. With 5,000 locations across North America, The UPS Store is a convenient destination for your holiday packing, shipping, printing as well as package and mail receiving needs.
The best part is that only The UPS Store backs its services with the Pack & Ship Guarantee. With the Pack and Ship Guarantee, if an item is somehow lost or damaged the customer will be reimbursed the cost of packaging materials and service, as well as shipping costs. Our Pack & Ship Guarantee applies to items packed by The UPS Store and shipped via UPS, DHL or USPS.
Now through Dec. 31, at participating The UPS Store locations, they will support the Toys for Tots Literacy Program with an in-center donation card drive. The UPS Store network is the exclusive sponsor of the Toys for Tots Literacy Program. This is an initiative that helps give less fortunate children the ability to compete academically and succeed in life by providing them direct access to resources that will enhance their ability to read and communicate effectively.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Love of impromptu dance parties, 80’s cartoons, and horizontal life pauses (aka naps); Natasha Brown is a stay at home mom of 4 kids, and wife to one lucky guy! In her spare time, she is co-editor of Grits & Grace, as well as editor for The Mother Hustler Blog and Creative Director for the Mother Hustler podcast.
