Christmas is less than two weeks away, and as the holiday crunch sets in, it’s easy to get stressed and overwhelmed instead of enjoying the season. While you can’t just sit back and relax when you’re the one responsible for pulling off the Yuletide traditions in your family, there are some hacks and shortcuts that can make this time of year easier to manage and more enjoyable for everyone, including you! Try these ideas as you plan and participate in holiday events in the coming days:
- Make a Christmas bucket list. Kids naturally want to do everything Christmas if they’re given the opportunity, but when you fill up every date on the calendar and still have to find time to deck the halls, prepare food, shop for gifts, and do all the wrapping, the season loses some of its magic. Instead, give your kids (even teens!) the opportunity to share their favorite one or two Christmas events/traditions that they’d like to see on the family calendar. Local parades, parties, gingerbread house decorating as a family, visiting favorite Christmas spots, etc. are all fair game for the list, and it can easily be tailored to fit your family’s own specific needs. By having each person contribute a limited number of events, and by seeing which events overlap among your family, it’s easier to manage your holiday calendar and make sure everyone gets to celebrate without you being stressed out by Christmas Eve.
- It’s ok to take shortcuts. Not everything holiday has to be made from scratch, perfectly Pinterest, or Instagram worthy. Taking shortcuts like using pre-made dough for Christmas cookies, ordering the holiday ham from a local restaurant, or asking family members to bring potluck sides to take off some of the load is perfectly fine, and will make the holiday happier for everyone since you’ll be in a better mood and able to enjoy the fun.
- Turn a chore into a party! Putting up Christmas lights alone can feel like a drudgery…unless you make it a neighborhood event! Hot chocolate served in the driveway, Christmas carols playing, and everyone out in their yards at the same time is a wonderful way to make a chore into something fun! In the same way, “wrapping parties” are a popular way to make gift wrapping an enjoyable experience for groups of friends. Everyone contributes a few rolls of paper, BYO ribbons and tags (and a bottle of wine or a fun holiday drink) and can enjoy chatting with friends, watching a Christmas movie, or listening to tunes while they knocked out that pile of gifts for their family and friends.
We hope these tips will help you soak up the season and make memories this Christmas. Ridge Energy Savers will make sure your home is cool and comfortable through all of the planning, celebrating, and aftermath. When you trust our team to take care of your home’s AC, you know your system will be running at its best for everything from your fancy dinner party to your kids’ Christmas Eve party in their jammies. If you do notice a problem, don’t panic! Ridge can come to your rescue with our 24 hour emergency service option. Just give us a call!
Merry Christmas from all of us at Ridge Energy Savers!
