‘Tis the Season

The excitement of the holidays brings with it a stream of extra seasonal activities such as hosting parties, buying gifts and sending out greetings.  High expectations to wow loved ones and create meaningful moments can sometimes lead you to feel pressured and stressed.

Preparing for the most wonderful time of the year can be a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to take up a lot of your time if you use the right mix of strategies, systems and tools.

Hopefully a few of our ideas and tips below will help you preserve the festive spirit and stay in control this season. 

HOLIDAY “To Do’s”:

How to actually follow that never-ending list …

1. Develop a plan ~ it’s never too late to do this!
2. Make a gift list – who and what – then categorize your gifts, by store, shop in the morning or afternoon to avoid the crowds
3. On-line shopping – you might still be able to do this but at this point you will pay high shipping costs.
4. Don’t go anywhere without your list

A FEW UNIQUE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS -  for those last minute shoppers and they are environmentally friendly!

1. Their favourite charity
2. Personal favor gift certificates – a hug, car wash, making dinner, handyman work around the house, housecleaning, organizing, lawn cutting or snow removal
3. Adopt an animal – www.wwf.ca 
4. Tickets to a concert, to the theatre, a special restaurant, you can order a lot of these on-line!
5. Baked goods, preserves, special homemade sauces
6. www.plancanada.ca/givehope – it’s worth checking out
7. Bulbs/seeds for the garden next spring

 If budget is a concern, check out travel points you might have accumulated on your rewards cards. You might not have enough for a trip but you can buy a variety of gift cards with your points ~ Starbucks as an example!

HOLIDAY GREETINGS:

If you did not get those paper cards out in time then go the e-card approach.  The important thing is to connect with people not the way in which you do it. Check out www.hallmark.com – they have an annual subscription that ends up costing pennies an e-card.

Have a wonderful Christmas, or whatever holiday you do celebrate, with your family and friends. All the best in 2012.