As fun as the holidays are, they can also get a bit stressful at times.
Especially, when you want everything to be just perfect for your loved seniors.
But the truth is- you don’t need to go crazy to have a wonderful Christmas.
You can be relaxed and have a good time.
Yes, you can have it all!
Here are 3 easy ideas you can do for a stress-free Christmas:
Create an activity out of your charity.
Doing good deeds is fun and rewarding. Not to mention, easily accessible because you can do it from the comfort of your home or out and about in your local community.
If you’re having trouble choosing a holiday activity that will please everyone, choose a charitable act. Spend some time at a soup kitchen or orphanage. Or, if you’d rather keep it a holiday at home, sift through your basement, attic, or closets and make some donations.
Doing good deeds always brings meaning and cheer to the holidays.
Play Secret Santa.
When you hear the mention of holiday stress, the first word that always comes to mind is gifts.
Preparing gifts for all the different friends and family members is tough. Not to mention, quite unfriendly to your wallet. You end up having to make a million decisions about what to buy, where to buy, how to buy. And, you have to make all the decisions while also trying to choose activities and locations for spending the day.
A simple fix to this age-old problem is doing a gift exchange. Host something like Secret Santa, where everyone is secretly assigned one person to give one gift to. At the end of the gift exchange, everyone takes a guess and the gift-givers are revealed.
Gift exchanges take the stress out of gift buying, and they give you a fun activity to do with the family. Seniors will love the experience.
(For a spin-off of the regular gift exchange, try White Elephant, where guests can nab and pass the gifts they want).
Make it a potluck.
This is another great way to make the holidays a little easier on prep time.
If you’re planning on having lots of company for the holidays, tell everyone it’s a potluck. Then, each person will bring one or two of their favorite dishes.
Cooking a three-course meal is hard. But, cooking just one or two dishes is a lot of fun. Especially, when you know you’ll be sharing the food in good company.
Hosting a potluck is sure to increase the level of comradery and friendship at any holiday meal.
Account for transportation in advance.
Aside from gifts and food, one of the biggest headaches is transportation during the holiday season. Buses, trains, flights, you name it- they’re all delayed or jam-packed. And, no senior wants to get stuck standing or waiting around for hours – they’ve got grandkids to see and cheeks to pinch.
So, if you plan on going out for Christmas eve or day, plan your transportation in advance. It doesn’t need to be any kind of crazy detailed planning. But just something to put your mind at ease. If you can at least plan how you’re going to get where you need to be and what time you’re going to leave- you’ll feel a whole lot better the day of.
And, don’t forget to cushion your travel time for lots of traffic.
Happy Holidays!
