Holiday Season Survival Tips
These holiday season survival tips are rooted in years of practice. Staying organized means less stress from early November through early January.
I define the holiday season as Thanksgiving and Christmas for my family because those are the special days we enjoy celebrating. It begins on November 1 for us as we begin to anticipate Thanksgiving and make holiday plans.
Organization is the key to success during the holiday season. It is important to take time for yourself when you need to and stay organized!
Table of Contents
- Thanksgiving Survival Tips
- Christmas Season Survival Tips
- More Ways To Enjoy The Holidays
- 12 Days of Christmas Ideas
Thanksgiving Survival Tips
One word will describe How I Survive Hosting Thanksgiving, Lists!
Nothing is more satisfying than checking items off a To-Do list! Have you ever added something to a list you have already done just so you can check it off? Guilty and not ashamed!
Printable Thanksgiving Planner for Hosting
So I created this Thanksgiving Planner Set years ago and updated it last year. It works for me! I use it every year. You can download and print it for free.
See my tips for How To Make Thanksgiving Cleanup Easier
Southern Thanksgiving Menu
Grab this Southern Thanksgiving Menu. The best part is that I included a grocery shopping list for the ingredients needed for each dish along with the meal plan with 16 Southern favorite Thanksgiving recipes.
Products I recommend for cooking a big meal:
- These Disposable foil pans (9×13)
- Disposable Crockpot liners
- Thanksgiving coloring placemats for kids
- Use your Crockpot(s), like this one
- Disposable serving utensils, like this set (forks, spoons, tongs)
Delegate
If you host Thanksgiving dinner, you must not be bashful about delegating. Tell everyone something to bring and they will gladly do it. Make someone in charge of games if your family enjoys playing games when you all get together. See our list of good clean fun family games.
Family Friendly Games
Christmas Season Survival Tips
How to manage your busy holiday season schedule
Put it on the Calendar! *Free printable calendars below. Write it down! If you are like me and need double reminding, use both a paper calendar and a digital calendar.
I recommend the Google Calendar app. It’s the easiest online calendar I have found and can be used on any device, cell phone, or PC. Many of the appointments you make can be auto-added to your Google calendar. My Google calendar has saved me from double booking myself many times.
Make a list
Making a list of folks you are shopping for is essential. Divide your shopping budget among the number of folks on your list. This is one step of holiday shopping budgeting you cannot skip.
Shopping Tips
Before Black Friday lost its thrill, we used to all bring our newspaper loaded with sales ads to Thanksgiving dinner. We cleared the table, spread out the sales ads, and created our plan for Black Friday shopping.
Shopping is a little different now, post-Covid shutdown of 2020. Online shopping and delivery to your door are much more popular.
I want to say shop early and often, online because new deals are offered daily. Get those free shipping deals and avoid the crowds and traffic.
Get paid to shop!
This is a no-brainer folks. I have been using Ebates, now called Rakuten, for many years. It’s super simple and free to sign up. You simply go to the site, type in the name of the store or an item search, hit enter, and start shopping. If you make a purchase, money will be deposited into your account. Once per quarter, it will be sent to you via the method you select. Sign up for free with my referral link right here.
Budget your holiday shopping
Although it is tempting because you are in the giving mood, do not go into debt when gift shopping. There are alternatives such as picking names for gifts instead of buying gifts for everyone in the family.
- 12 Things You May Need to Add To Your November Budget
- 30 Ways To Stretch The Budget In November
- 52 Simple Budgeting Tips For Families
- 60 Cheap Meals To Make When The Budget Is Tight
Decorating for Christmas
Set the mood
Create a party feeling. Set up a small version of a Hot Cocoa Bar in your kitchen along with some cookies or sweet treats for decorating day. Make This Easy Family Christmas Movie Night Snack Bar
Get organized
Get all of the boxes of decor out of the attic or storage area and place them in a central location.
Delegate
People enjoy having the freedom to share their creativity so you may want to think about this. I won’t mind if my hubby has always wanted to place our Nativity in the foyer rather than the dining room. Be open to change and thankful for the family bonding opportunity.
- Use this handy tip for an Easy Way To Hang Outside Window Wreaths
- Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas
Turn Christmas Tree shopping into a family activity
Visit a Christmas Tree Farm as a family event. Most Christmas Tree Farms around us also sell Hot cocoa, have some photo spots set up, and provide some form of activity for the children. You can easily make this annual trip into a family tradition your children will remember forever. They will be excited to help hang ornaments on the tree when you get back home.
Christmas Baking
I created a series of Christmas baking tips to relieve some of the stress. Don’t over-book yourself. You can only do so much and still enjoy the season.
- How to Plan Enough Time for Holiday Baking By Organizing Your Kitchen
- How to Pick the Perfect Recipes for Your Holiday Baking
- How To Do Batch Baking For The Holiday Season
- How To Freeze & Thaw Baked Goods
The key to a less stressful holiday season is to stay organized. Print these free calendars for November and December. Write your plans on the appropriate dates and hang it on the refrigerator for the whole family to see.
Christmas Recipes
More Ways To Enjoy The Holidays
12 Days of Christmas Ideas
- Day 1 (Gift Guides) 15 GIFTS WOMEN REALLY WANT UNDER $50
- Day 2 (Holiday Survival Guides) MY HOLIDAY SEASON SURVIVAL TIPS (YOU ARE HERE)
- Day 3 (Kids Activities) TWEEN & TEEN CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES (I interviewed my Grandkids and these are their answers)
- Day 4 (Party Games) CHEAP & EASY CARDBOARD BOX SNOWMAN BEAN BAG TOSS
- Day 5 (DIY Advent Calendar) ADORABLE ADVENT CALENDAR EASY CHRISTMAS CRAFT
- Day 6 (DIY Wreath) FESTIVE RED BUFFALO PLAID CHRISTMAS WREATH
- Day 7 (DIY Ornaments) SIMPLE & EASY NATIVITY CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS
- Day 8 (Christmas Printables) EASY KIDS CHRISTMAS LIGHTS SCAVENGER HUNT GAME
- Day 9 (Pot Luck Recipes) ROASTED BRUSSEL SPROUTS WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE
- Day 10 (Christmas Desserts) CRANBERRY PECAN WHITE FUDGE
- Day 11 (Christmas Breakfast) CHICKEN AND CHEESE EGGS SKILLET
Originally published November 2019
Yes yes yes! I love all of this. I make all kinds of list this time of year and have a few beside me right now. Plus we just planned our Christmas fun ideas that will create wonderful memories with our kids.
My family jokes that I make a list to make a list so I’m with you on the list-making. I also do most of my shopping online. I hate standing in long lines and all that traffic. You have so many great tips on surviving my favorite holiday season.