"Organized Enough" for the Remaining Holiday Events

I know you've got your list and are checking it twice to make sure that all holiday preparations are getting done. But have you had to enjoy the season? This is supposed to be a festive and fun time of the year, not one of overwhelm and stress. So just like on a computer you sometimes have to change "permissions" so the right people have the correct access, sometimes you have to change your holiday "permissions." Check out these five ideas and see if one or more can make your day brighten a little:

1. Haven't sent your holiday cards out yet? You have permission to send cards at an alternative time. Suggestions include New Years, St. Patrick's Day, April Fools, July 4th or whenever the mood strikes you. I once received a holiday letter send for April 15th! Of course, you can always change from "snail mail" cards to e-cards. You could even decide not to send cards at all!
   
2. Still have decorations to be unpacked? You have permission to not put up or out any more decorations. Decorations are there to help you enjoy the holidays. If you don't like to decorate your space or if it doesn't make you feel more festive once it's decorated, just don't. An alternative is to delegate this task, either to other family members or to a company that specializes in decorating homes for holidays.
3. Not a big fan of fancy meals? Tired after a long day and don't want to be in the kitchen? You have permission to streamline your meals. There are several ways to do this. #1: Pick up dinner from a restaurant or food bar at a grocery store. #2: Frozen lasagna, garlic bread and salad from a bag. #3: Get part of all of a meal catered. #4: Hire a personal chef to make multiple meals. #5: Use paper dishes for a meal so you dont' have to worry about doing dishes. #6: Enlist the help of others in your household. #7: Have a pot-luck. #8: Accept any offers of guests to contribute to a meal.
4. Feel compelled to take pictures but don't have a plan for what happens to the pictures after they are taken? You have permission to decrease your amount of time behind the camera. You want to have enough pictures to capture the memories but not so many that it is arduous to process the pictures later (whether you print or label digitally). Also, you don't want to spend so much time behind the camera that you miss the event!
5. Overwhelmed with the thought of buying and wrapping lots of gifts? You have permission to give the gift of time. For instance, you could create a gift certificate on your computer giving the other person a meal together at the restaurant of their choice. You also have permission to ask the person what they would like as a gift. That way you don't have to guess what they might like or get them something that only creates clutter for them. As far as wrapping: it doesn't have to be perfect, just done! Use the funny pages as wrapping paper. Use plain white, red or green and dress up with a fancy bow. Use gift bags or boxes. Index cards cut in half make fine gift tags. An alternative idea is to hire a personal concierge to purchase and wrap the gifts.

Don't get overwhelmed by these choices! Choose one or two that work for you and do those. Or maybe one of these suggestions gave you a completely different idea to decrease the holiday overwhelm. Just remember that enjoying the holidays often includes giving yourself permission to do some activities differently than you have in the past...and that's okay!