12 Days of Christmas Ideas 2015 – Day 4

A little pre-planning can go a long way towards reducing Christmas stress, which is why today’s idea is a planning one.

I’m from a family of five girls. If you’re thinking ‘Oh your poor Dad!’ no need to worry, the son-in-laws and grandsons have finally tipped the numbers in his favour. We are also quite a busy bunch and even when we are on holiday there is always a lot of activity. One day while on holiday together, and having just survived another last minute call to gather as a full family at another location, my sister (mother of 3 boys under 5) and I got to talking about how stressful it was to rally our families of pre-schoolers and get somewhere in 20 minutes – after all it can take that long just to get the kiddies to put on their shoes!

Next time the holidays came around I was determined to reduce the stress and enjoy our time together. I figured that a written schedule for the busiest part of our time together (this just happened to be Christmas Eve through to Boxing Day) would be very helpful in achieving this. So I gave my parents and my sisters a call and explained that I wanted to be able to enjoy our time together with as little stress as possible – which was something they all wanted too. I asked them what their hopes, plans and expectations were for this period of time. We also agreed that the schedule was flexible – we could easily change anything on the schedule as long as everyone was consulted. I typed up the schedule and sent out copies to everyone. All my family were happy and it worked well – yay!

Now I get that being this kind of organised is not for everyone, it really does depend on what your family is like. For our busy and super active family it worked well. But let’s just strip this idea back to the basics for a moment – stress comes when relationships are put under strain and let’s face it Christmas comes with straining factors. So why not try these 3 basic principles:

• Talk with those you are spending your busiest times with this Christmas season. Explain why you want to talk with them about their plans – when people can see the ‘why’ they are often quicker to buy into it. Find out what their expectations of you are and of the holiday  season in general – unmet expectations lead to disappointments which leads to strain and stress.
• Write stuff down and put it somewhere it can be seen – don’t expect your loved ones to remember every detail of your social calendar and what tasks need to be done. This is the busiest time of the year and it is also the end of the year, so they are probably worn out and ready for a holiday too.
• Be flexible – prepare yourself for the fact that things may not go according to plan. Think about what might go wrong and organise a ‘Plan B’ now. Do this purely for your own peace of mind, no one else needs to know.

I hope this helps you as we approach this year’s silly season. I have truly found that when we approach life head on and are deliberate in our planning great things happen.

 

 

 

 

 

© 2015 As You Wish Events Ltd.  Want to use this article in your E-newsletter, blog, or website? You can as long as you include this complete statement: Auckland, New Zealand – Event Planner & Designer Nadine Crozier publishes the ‘As You Wish Events’ blog filled with secrets, tips and how-tos for planning your fabulous event. Get your exclusive inspiration, tips and tricks at http://www.asyouwish.co.nz.  As You Wish Events is an event planning and design company based in Auckland, serving the Auckland region and certain areas of Northland.