If you are saying “Oh My SPA”  I have NO idea how I’m going to get everything done in time or if you are feeling overwhelmed…then these tips are for you. 

Here are my best tips for surviving the last minute crunch time before Christmas ~ Stress Free!!

 

 

 

1)      Wear Comfortable Shoes! Yep, if you are wrapping gifts, cooking, baking, cleaning house for company, running errands etc. Make sure you are wearing well supportive & comfortable shoes. Even indoors! Your feet, knees, hips & back will thank you!

 

2)      Surround yourself with music! In your car, at work and at home, play music that makes you smile. Holiday tunes, get up and dance tunes, calming holiday hymns, and tunes that make you sing along! Music is very calming and uplifting. So enjoy the opportunity to enjoy the sounds of the season or whatever your favorites are! XM radio broadcasts through my DirecTV stations, so I like to mix it up when I can and listen to different stations. Check your cable or satellite provider and see if you have these channels you didn’t even know about! Of course, A Charlie Brown Christmas is always a favorite to make you smile!

 

 3)      Laughter reduces stress instantly! If I’m not listening to music, I like to play holiday classic movies that make me laugh like Home Alone or A Christmas Story. Many of these are running on TV all day so you can just put them on, get your “things” done & laugh away!

 

4)      Stretch! Make sure to take frequent breaks and stretch your body. You don’t need to take long breaks, just enough time to stretch arms, hands, neck, waist, lower back & legs. Remember to breathe deeply while stretching. The minor adjustment in position and stretching will reduce muscle tension. The added deep breathing will reduce stress and increase focus & clarity.

 

5)      Drink Plenty of Water! Our bodies need extra hydration when we are “hustling” about. So make sure to have water with you everywhere you go. For an added twist…add a peppermint candy, red hot candy, or slice of lemon or lime to your water to naturally flavor it. Makes it more fun to drink that way!

 

6)      Make wash hand time, massage hand time! Washing hands frequently is common while cooking and cleaning. So take advantage of this to massage hands and activate key reflexology points. To massage your left hand, use your thumb on your right hand. Start at your wrist and run your thumb up your hand and up each finger ending at the finger tips. Repeat for other hand. Fist and un-fist hands, wring hands and massage wrists. You can do all of this with soap on so you are disinfecting while de-stressing. You can even use a good hand scrub every so often to exfoliate as well.   Follow with a good hand crème. Shea butter & Alpha Hydroxy are great ingredients for softening over washed hands. My favorites that I keep by my kitchen sink are:  Show of Hands Instant Manicure & Extreme Repair Hand Therapy.  Click here for details.

 And my BEST TIP:

Pursue Participation not Perfection. This is a BIG one. It is more important to participate in the holidays than to have the perfect meal, gift or décor. So make sure you are enjoying family, friends and company, and not spending all of your time cooking, baking or cleaning. Keep things simple so you have time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

At Thanksgiving, this one was a hard tip to practice. After our meal, typically my husband and  I would clean up and return our home to clean perfection.  Afterwards, we’d hear of all the great conversations and “updates” we missed while cleaning. So, this time, we asked everyone to leave their dishes at the table. We’d clean later. Everything sat in the Dining Room. We put up food, but that was it. Instead, we enjoyed the company of our friends & family that were with us. Mind you the thought of dirty dishes still in the dining room almost killed me. But the enjoyment and fun was well worth it!

This year for Christmas, I wanted to learn how to make tamales. So I had my mom come and help “guide” me through the process. Fortunately they came out awesome!! We finished late last night!. As I write this, I know that adding this extra step to my holiday preparation sets me back time wise. But that’s ok. I enjoyed making them with my mom. We got to enjoy memories of making tamales with my Dad & Grandfather when they were still with us. So now I’ve added a new tradition. I’ve already simplified my cookie baking menu & holiday menu so that I’m not too overloaded the next couple of days. But I wouldn’t trade that time with my mom for anything. Had I NOT done that, I’d regret never sitting down with her to learn and enjoy.

So participate in traditions, create new traditions, make memories, play with the kids, enjoy friends and family and remember to sing, dance and laugh your way to a FABULOUS Christmas! It’s the memories you’ll keep forever.

Stay tuned for Stress Free Holidays Part 3….