Top Tips For Stay At Home Moms Trying to Make It Through The Holiday Season

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how stay at home moms get through the holiday season

It’s that time of year again. The stockings need to be hung, the tree decorated, and cookies baked but you sit with your head in your hands feeling completely overwhelmed and wondering how you will ever get it all done.

As stay-at-home Moms, our job only gets tougher during the holidays. We’ve all been there. It’s the week before Christmas and you’re running through the stores with kids in tow racing to get that last minute gift. The stores are crowded, the kids are hungry and crying. The holidays for me always start out so happy and exciting but if you check in with me the week before Christmas, I’m usually ready to pull my hair out.

Over the years, I’ve begun to realize that it doesn’t have to be this stressful. It’s time to let go of some of those things that I always thought were holiday necessities and leave more time to enjoy each moment. I don’t want to miss the excitement in my children’s eyes or the laughter or the tears of joy. One day they’ll be all grown up and I’ll wish I had spent more time enjoying the little things.

make lists to stay organized

This may sound a bit repetitive, but I can’t help myself! You need a list for the holidays! I love lists and what better way to stay organized than to make one for the holiday season. During this time of year, I actually have multiple lists going at the same time because it just seems to make sense for me. I have a gift list for all the people I need to buy gifts for. I also have a separate gift list for kids and husband. We host Christmas dinner at our house, so I have another list to keep track of how many people are coming. I also have one last list for our dinner menu and who is bringing what. It sounds like a lot but for me it’s the best way to keep it all organized.

Why make lists? Lists help keep you organized and motivated to complete your next task. Whether it’s grocery shopping or wrapping gifts, lists can help you stay on track. By making lists, you will find that you can easily prioritize tasks and get things done. You will feel less overwhelmed with daily activities and more motived if you create lists to help meet your daily and weekly goals.

For more information see my page on how to Make Lists To Save Time And Stay Organized

start wrapping gifts during nap time

I survived many years of Christmas wrapping when my children were young by wrapping gifts during nap time. As soon they were tucked into bed, the race was on to get out wrapping paper, bows and tape and get as many done as I could. Most of the time, I knew I had at least an hour to pull gifts out of the closets, wrap them and put them back before anyone started to wake up.

As my children got older and nap time ended, I started doing “quiet time”. This was a and chance for them to spend some time by themselves in their rooms laying down or doing something quietly. It was a time for everyone to regroup and a time that I also continued to use for holiday wrapping.

ask for help!!

Yes you CAN ask for help! This has been such a struggle for me since my kids were babies. As a stay-at-home Mom, I had this premeditated idea that because I left my career to stay home with my children, I should be able to handle everything. I found out early on, this was so not true. We all need help sometimes especially during the holidays.

ASK FRIENDS OR RELATIVES TO BABYSIT SO YOU CAN GET SHOPPING DONE

HAVE AN TEEN RELATIVE OR FRIEND PLAY WITH YOUR KIDS WHILE YOU CLEAN

IF YOU HOST CHRISTMAS DINNER ASK EVERYONE TO BRING A DISH

ASK GRANDPARENTS TO HELP OUT TOO!

IT'S OKAY TO LET SOME THINGS GO

So I have to admit that this is the first Christmas I have decided that it’s okay to let some things go. Really it is. In the past, I’ve practically killed myself (and other family members!) trying to get everything done. As a stay-at-home Mom, I always felt more was expected of me. The house needed to look a certain way, kids should be dressed a certain way, gifts should be a certain way and so on. This is the first year that I am letting go of some of the stressful stuff and I actually feel good about it.

One thing that’s always on my list is taking pictures for holiday cards. It is one of the most stressful things on my list to get accomplished, yet I’ve always felt it was a necessity because older relatives we don’t often see enjoy getting them. So, I have the kids put on nice clothes and spend forever trying to get them to stand still in front of the tree. An hour later and a few more grey hairs and we finally have a couple of nice pictures to put on a card. Then I spend another hour online trying to find the perfect card to use with our pictures.

let it go, let it go, let it go!

This year has been one of the more challenging holiday seasons because we’ve been busier than ever with kids’ activities. I’ve finally realized that I can’t do it all. The cards were nice, but they are one stressful thing that I can let go of in order to keep my sanity. Holidays should be about enjoying time with family and friends and not about stressing over every little thing. As stay-at-home Moms, we have a lot of stress in our lives. Think about some of the things you do for the holidays that maybe it’s time to let go of. Take some time to enjoy the moment and have a happy holiday season!