Simplifying December

December is filled with our favorite things. The magical glow of Christmas lights lighting the front room—a glint of excitement in your children’s eyes—the aroma of hot chocolate heating on the stove—and the warmth of family.

Sometimes though, you can get through the whole month and wonder where the holiday went. All too often you find yourself acting as your family’s air traffic controller, keeping track of holiday parties, school concerts, classroom treat days, and family traditions.

All of these events are important during this time of year, but it’s easy to get caught up in the stress of orchestrating the chaos, rather than taking in the beauty of it all. The biggest contributor to stress is inadequate preparation. Here are five tips to help you simplify your December and reclaim the peace of the season.

1. Organize Your Holiday Gift List

Helping Santa get the things on everyone’s wish list can be quite a chore. You can simplify this with a basic spreadsheet: list the names of your family members, the gifts they want, where you want to buy them, how much they cost, and a running total on your budget. Then, when you find a great deal in the holiday ads, you’ll have a space to record it, saving you the trouble of bringing the mailers with you on your shopping trip.

2. Track Your Family Events

As your kids bring their school schedules home, take the time to mark their events on your centralized calendar with different colors for each child. Putting events up ahead of time can help you minimize scheduling conflicts. Meet as a family today, and at least weekly throughout the busy season to make sure you have everything scheduled in your planner with time allotted for preparation and travel.

3. Make Room For Traditions

With all the holiday fun going on outside your home, make sure to make time for your own family’s holiday traditions. Whether it’s decorating the house, reading by candlelight, baking pies, dipping chocolate, or watching your family’s favorite holiday movie—don’t let the holiday rush crowd out the small, quiet events that become the traditions your children remember most.

4. Prepare For House Guests

If you’re planning on having family or friends stay with you for the holidays, or even just inviting people over for a party of your own, you will want to present a clean and organized house. If you have any organization projects that you’ve been putting off, it’s better to tackle them well before your guests arrive. You’ll be dealing with travel schedules and other logistics – the last thing you need the day before they arrive is trying to find a home for the boxes in the guest bedroom.

5. Schedule Down Time

Most importantly, as you look at your holiday calendar, make sure to schedule some down time. With many family members to visit, and all of them expecting a visit on the holiday itself, it’s easy for a series of celebrations to feel like a set of errands. Scheduling out visits on days other than the actual holiday can help make your holiday together time more relaxed and enjoyable.