The fact that I am using stress-free and holiday in the same sentence feels unreal. It sounds gimmicky. I think I should caveat it and say: How to have a 'relatively' stress free holiday? I guess there's no way to absolutely vanish stress episodes during festive season but we could do with some tips that reduce it to a minimum. Here we go:
Go food shopping online. Yes, we are already familiar with the wonders of online shopping - also known as - getting things sorted whilst in your pyjamas. So why not take it to the next level? I have a situation this year: we are flying to Austria on the 21st December, we will stay there for two days then off we go to Hungary until the evening of 29th. This is very close to NYE and experience tells me that I will never have an energy to rummage Waitrose in person. So, I have this genius idea of doing my grocery and setting the delivery date on the morning of 30th! I always shop at Waitrose. This is not a sponsored post, I just love Waitrose since then.
Balance your days or nights out. I usually sandwich my festive days between weekends and my annual leaves. This applies if you still have available leaves, of course. So, there are days that I'm walking non-stop for six hours followed by a pamper day when I apply all my lovely LUSH products on my face and body over a hot bath. I don't feel so crazy busy this season because of this trick.
Release yourself from unnecessary gift giving. Now, this may sound controversial so let me preempt it: to each his own. Personally, when I look back on my previous holidays, gift-shopping is the most stressful task for me each year! Not to be a scrooge but who says it is mandatory to give a gift to a friend of our uncle's second cousin? We give gifts to appreciate people around us, not because we feel compelled to do so. Wouldn't it be nice that you give/receive a well thought-of gift rather than a generic one? I sometimes give gifts when there's no occasion at all. Isn't that sweeter?
Put your thoughts to pen and paper. There's no greater time to look from within than year-ends. Jot things that inspire you and write about anything. Doodle your life plans away. Think about your goals, travel list and so on. Don't let pessimist lead you into thinking new year's resolution sucks. I strongly disagree. I'd dare say that as long as you strive to better yourself, no resolution goes to waste. It's all about trying and if you fail, you are not a failure but an experienced human being.
Whenever possible, have smaller parties. I find it less stressful and more rewarding when I host smaller get togethers. I don't feel any pressure to be the perfect host when there's only a handful of people to cater. Also, conversation is deeper and laughs are harder when you engage with a few people rather than a big crowd. -CMK
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