 Imagine entering the holiday week with excitement and a sense of calm. The house is beautifully decorated, the meals are planned and prepped, the gifts are wrapped, and the guest rooms are tidy. You feel ready to host AND enjoy yourself too. You're pretty much superwoman and will accept that cape any day now. Does this sound like a pipe dream? Well it's possible my friend! Come along for the sleigh ride while I share my tips to reverse engineer the holidays so you can relax, feel organized, and be at peace from now through the New Year. Tip #1: Embrace the End GoalPlanning the holiday of your dreams starts with pausing and thinking about what you actually want. Sounds simple right? But we don't often stop to think about our desires and just chug along in autopilot mode. What's your holiday end goal? Maybe you don't need all the items I listed above, like the house perfectly decorated. Perhaps you'd just be happy with a tree up, decorated as a family with your kids' adorable ornaments. It's about what's most important to you. Do you want to do a simple meal you can prep in advance so you can be fully present with your kids or guests? Do you want to have all gifts purchased and wrapped the week prior? Decide on one or two items that would make you the most cheerful and least stressed this year. For me, it's decorating early so I can enjoy the decorations longer and choosing food I can prep as much in advance so I'm not cooking with guests there (bake sweet breads the day before, prep a breakfast casserole I can just pop in the oven, make cookies the week before and freeze them, etc.).  Tip #2: Forget the FrustrationsIf it's too tricky to decide what would give you the most holiday cheer, how about reminiscing on what gave you the most stress last year? When did you lose your cool and snap at your spouse, or when did those feelings of never being good enough creep in (they happen to all of us!)? OK, let's be real - some of that can be solved by being kind to ourselves and lowering our expectations. But we can also be friendly to our future self by taking action now. I've learned over the years what stresses me out most and what I can tweak to feel more chill. Especially with small children, the holidays can be a lot. Not gonna lie that I used to get très anxious this time of year. Now I can happily say that I'm enjoying the holidays much more. One example is that I take photos each year of how I decorated the house, then I reference it the next year and pretty much replicate it (and make small tweaks when I purchase any new decorations). Part of why I love organizing is doing the hard work once and then the system is set up and easy to maintain. Same thing with decorating: I don't want to reinvent the wheel every time. I make a big effort once to decide the perfect placement, then I document it and reference it each year. Another example for easier planning is that I keep an ongoing gift ideas list on my phone. When my kids ask for something randomly, my spouse mentions something he loves, or I come across an item I'd like but don't want to buy for myself, I add the idea and/or link to my gift ideas list. Then when the holidays roll around and family is asking for present ideas, you can easily whip up a list to share with them. (This is an amazing habit to get into with families: Your kids get gifts we actually like/need and it's super easy for loved ones to shop for us.)  Tip #3: Schedule the SeasonDon't let the next couple of months whiz by in a blur. If you do that, before you know it the holidays will be here and you'll be scrambling and kicking yourself for it. Work back from the event date now and start putting tasks on your calendar and reminders in your phone! Your digital calendar and reminders app can act like your personal assistant and external brain during these busy times. They can also help you be less anxious to make a plan. Then you can stop thinking about all these little tasks in the back of your mind. When you set a reminder or calendar event your brain can say, OK, I can let that go because I know when it needs to get done and I don't need to worry about it until then. You can set reminders or calendar events for things like ordering gifts, deciding on holiday meals in time to grocery shop (that holiday ham sells out fast!), and ordering holiday outfits. Then do my favorite tip of all and make the reminders recurring for once a year so you don't have to reinvent the wheel next year and that holiday will be even smoother! Read more about my gifts note, digital calendars, and reminders app here (my 3 favorite apps to stay organized)!  Tip #4: Phone the ProfessionalsWow, that was a lot. You may be feeling a little overwhelmed by all those tips. That's OK and totally normal. It took me years to fine tune my process and figure out what I need to do to enjoy the holidays more. You have to start somewhere! And maybe that somewhere is reaching out for support. You don't have to do this alone - and you work so darn hard. You deserve to enjoy the holidays too. We have a plethora of ways our friendly organizing team can help make your holidays easier: 🎁 Decorate your home and tree. 🎁 Declutter and systematize your decorations. 🎁 Purge your kids' toys to get ready for all the new ones. 🎁 Prepare guest rooms and bathrooms. 🎁 Tidy up your mudroom and entryways. 🎁 Organize your kitchen so you can host with style and peace. 🎁 General decluttering and organizing so you can breathe again! Our schedules are filling up quickly through the end of the year; contact us today to reserve your spot! You'll be so relieved you did!  Whether you're giving us a call or tackling the holiday to-dos on your own, you've got this! Take a deep breath, sip that peppermint mocha, and know that some holiday cheer is heading your way.
If you'd like to learn more about working with an organizer before hitting our glittery holiday easy button, check out our free organizing guide! Happy Holidays, Sandi
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