49 Ways to Stay Jolly this Holiday Season

By Christina Katz

This year, how can your family reap all the warmth and joy of the holiday without getting worn out in the process? Take charge. If you are dreaming of a stress-free holiday, this list of strategies will help get your family on track and keep you on course all December long:

1. Pick a holiday season keyword like goodwill, jolly, peace, joy, or love. Type the word in various fonts and sizes and post it all over the house.
2. Start your holiday prep early. Pace yourself. Enjoy everything you do.
3. Leave the beds unmade during the month of December.
4. Commit to only maintaining seasonal rituals that matter most to your family. Cut back on the rest. You can recoup whatever you miss next year.
5. Buy yourself an electric teapot as an early present, so you’ll never have to worry if you left the kettle on.
6. Create a custom holiday playlist and keep it on shuffle.
7. Gather some pinecones and stack them in vases or bowls.
8. Sort your holiday wrapping supplies by Thanksgiving. Buy only absolute necessities for full-price.
9. Haul out the decorative pillows, throws and quilts and up the comfort factor.
10. Keep the outdoor lights and decorations simple and classic.
11. No time to for a cookie swap? Deliver Poinsettias to the neighbors instead. Maybe you’ll get some cookies in return.
12. Clean out clothing closets so you can put gift cards to immediate, practical use.
13. Set aside a weekend day to organize and backup your digital photos.
14. Donate old toys to charity by December first. Now you’re ready for the next wave. Focus your gift list on quality, not quantity.
15. Forego Black Friday. Brainstorm a meaningful family ritual you can commit to for a few years instead, like Christmas tree cutting or tree trimming.
16. Become an under-committer. Say, “I’ll let you know,” to any invitation. Once the pressure is off, decide if you can squeeze it in.
17. Cut fresh evergreen boughs from your own yard or a nearby wood. Deck the house with them.
18. Throwing a party? Make a quick banner out of Christmas cards, a hole-punch, and leftover ribbon or yarn.
19. Avoid the holiday bulge by keeping your appetite at bay. Eat plenty of protein, oatmeal, brown rice, and veggies all month long.
20. Hang mistletoe at every entrance. Smooch often.
21. Hire a housekeeper for November, December, and January, even if you usually don’t.
22. Keep your bird feeders full. Daily winged visits will list spirits.
23. Institute a late afternoon quiet time. Perfect for reading, reflection or even a quick catnap.
24. Make moderation the family motto. When anything feels like too much, it’s time for stop, drop, and reconsider.
25. Plan no-brainer holiday meals rather than elaborate or labor-intensive alternatives. Stews, crock pot favorites, or even grocery-store gourmet are easy alternatives.
26. Stick a pile of whole cloves in an orange. Tie a red ribbon around it. You will feel centered by the time you are done and have a gift to give.
27. Keep a pile of classic holiday books handy to spontaneously read out loud.
28. Put lemon soap in your bathrooms. Buy lemon-scented cleaning products for cleaning. Hang a lemon air freshener in the car. Citrus smells boost your mood.
29. Stock up on flannel shirts and jammies, warm socks, fuzzy slippers, and thermal long underwear.
30. Make hot chocolate from scratch. Don’t forget the cream: whipped or marshmallow.
31. Take time to enjoy gift shopping for friends. If not buying gifts then write three or four hand-written cards, while you sip a seasonal drink at your local coffee shop.
32. Burn cinnamon-scented candles to instantly make your house feel like a home.
33. If you surf the web in the kitchen while you cook, use a flexible, waterproof keyboard that can handle the spills.
34. Have a ticking timer to set when your whole family needs a time out. Nobody is allowed to bother anyone else unless it’s life and death for however long you can get away with setting it.
35. A simple centerpiece is pears, tangerines, whole walnuts, and lemons in a vase or bowl. Bonus: you can eat them later.
36. New ritual: each family member buys each other a thoughtful ornament to open after dinner the night before Christmas.
37. Drive around the neighborhood, suck on candy canes or old-fashioned ribbon candy, and enjoy the light show.
38. Frustrated with technology overload? Stuff stockings with classic toys that develop agility and coordination instead.
39. Keep your pets alive over the holidays. Don’t bring home anything that might harm them. This link shows which plants are naughty and which are nice. (https://chemistry.about.com/od/toxicchemicals/tp/poisonous-holiday-plants.htm)
40. String popcorn and cranberries or make paper chains while you watch a holiday movie marathon.
41. Set aside a morning to video-conference with far-away relatives. Use e-mail to plan the day and time in advance.
42. Buy those Santa stocking caps and let your kids wear them to school. Enjoy their elfish grins.
43. Stuck making too many desserts for parties and events? Try The Cake Mix Doctor cookbooks for baking shortcuts sure to impress.
44. Sit with a cup of hot Chai tea. Don’t budge until you’re done.
45. If you receive a gift you know you don’t want but you can’t bear to re-gift it, donate it to your local thrift store. Someone else will enjoy it.
46. Grab a sitter and go ice-skating—just you and your honey.
47. Fill a box with foods that your family is unlikely to eat in the short run. Donate the food, plus a little extra, to the local food bank.
48. Put an oversized basket in the corner of the living room and stock with jump ropes, exercise DVDs, a yoga mat, and some hand weights. Now you’re ready for New Year’s resolutions.
49. Sleep in at least once a week. You deserve it.

Author, journalist, and writing coach Christina Katz is no stranger to jolly, especially during the most festive month of the year.