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The thing I hate most about the holidays is the traffic. The mall near our old house gets crazy busy at Christmas. The streets get so jam packed that the police have to direct traffic at all the intersections in the area. I quickly learned how to get to the mall while avoiding the traffic. This little lesson suddenly made the season easier. To help you this year, here are some simple tips to make your holidays calmer.
Holiday Annoyance #1: Traffic
Sitting in traffic drives me crazy, especially when I am close enough to see my destination. Sometimes, however, dealing with traffic is inevitable. But, it doesn’t have to ruin your holidays.
How to Make Your Holidays Calmer
Avoid traffic jams by traveling the road less traveled. Keep your blood pressure low by thinking outside the box to find a way to get around the traffic to get where you need to go.
Take a back road that will get you where you’re going without all the delays. Cut through a neighborhood to avoid that intersection that is always backed up. Find another store location in a less populated area instead of going to the one on the busy street.
Holiday Annoyance #2: Crowds
For some people, dealing with crowds is the biggest holiday annoyance. It seems like everywhere you go during the month of December there are crowds.
Standing in lines and navigating through an endless wall of people can suck the fun out of the most festive occasions.
How to Make Your Holidays Calmer
One solution to beat the crowds is to arrive early. Try to be the first person to arrive at every event.
Arrive before Santa starts visiting with kids so your kids can be first in line and you can avoid wasting time waiting in line. Avoid the crowds in the stores by taking a morning off to do your shopping while everyone else is heading to the office.
Holiday Annoyance #3: Wrapping
Some people find gift wrapping to be the biggest pain of the holiday season. My mother-in-law falls into this category. She finds wrapping to tedious and she would rather just avoid it.
If this sounds like you, don’t worry. There are ways to skip the wrapping.
How to Make Your Holidays Calmer
If you hate wrapping gifts, find a friend or relative that enjoys it and trade jobs. For instance, if you enjoy baking but your sister would rather wrap gifts, then offer to do her baking if she wraps your gifts.
I actually like wrapping, so I usually wrap my mother-in-law’s gifts while she entertains my son. It is a win-win for us both. She gets to trade a job she hates for fun grandma time, and I get an excuse to sit and watch Christmas movies.
Holiday Annoyance #4: Parties
Christmas is a time of endless parties. But for introverts, these parties are more of a hassle than entertainment. Yet, sometimes, you can’t get out of them.
How to Make Your Holidays Calmer
There is no law that says you have to attend every party you are invited to. If holiday parties are not your cup of tea, only attend the ones you absolutely must. And say no to the rest of the invitations.
For those parties, you have to go to, make a brief appearance and then sneak out early. Or, have an excuse ready for an early exit once you have hit your limit.
Holiday Annoyance #5: Cooking
Some people love doing all of the holiday baking and cooking, while others see it as a monumental chore. If you dread spending holiday time in the kitchen, there are ways to get it done without it ruining your Christmas spirit.
How to Make Your Holidays Calmer
If you don’t want to spend your time in the kitchen, then don’t. Let your relatives who love to cook take over the preparation of the family feast while you focus on the tasks that you do enjoy.
For instance, offer to clean up the kitchen if your cousin will do the cooking. If no one in the family likes to cook, then order take out and call it good.
For Christmas dinner at my mother-in-law’s house, we always order fajitas from a local restaurant. We enjoy our time together and no one gets stuck cooking.
Holiday Annoyance #6: Shopping
Christmas shopping is another task that can be a drain on the holiday cheer. Giving gifts is wonderful except for the shopping part. Believe it or not, there are ways around this chore too.
How to Make Your Holidays Calmer
If you hate to shop during the holidays, try doing your gift buying a little at a time throughout the year so you won’t have to do it all at once. You could also just give everyone on your list money and let them do their own shopping.
Another solution is to shop online from the comfort of your home and have it all delivered. Alternatively, find a personal shopper who can do it for you.
Holiday Annoyance #7: Decorating
The last thing on the list of common holiday annoyances is decorating. Some people find this to be such a waste of time. But, you don’t have to spend your time decorating if it doesn’t appeal to you.
How to Make Your Holidays Calmer
If you don’t like decorating, then don’t worry about it. You don’t have to go all out just because it is expected. Take a minimalistic approach and just put up a small tree and stockings.
You could have your kids or grandkids decorate your tree. Or get a relative or friend to decorate your house for you. And if you want outdoor lights, pay someone to put them up.
Conclusion
The holidays are a time for spending time with those we love. Yet, sometimes we get overwhelmed with all of the things we feel we must do to make the season special. At times, the to-do list can take all the fun out of celebrating.
Don’t let the chores of the holidays get you down. For every annoyance, there is a solution to make your holidays calmer and more merry.
For more ways to make the holidays more fun, read skip the holidays and travel instead. For tips on making travel easier, see my tips for stress-free travel with your spouse and kids, how to plan an epic family vacation, and tips on flying with Christmas gifts. Happy travels!
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