I’m a very random person by nature — artsy, flitting from one hobby to another and then finding ways to mix it all together… I create experiences. I set the mood. I am in tune with the people around me and when I’m in charge of something I try to anticipate needs, adjust the environment to suit the people… and 10 years ago today when my twins were born, I was terrified that we would never have a holiday or a celebration again!
I was invited to join a group that was all about organizing for Christmas. While we don’t celebrate Christmas in a traditional way, we do include some Christmas things in our Fall and Winter celebrations. (That might make for another topic, but it’s not my focus today 🙂 ) Needless to say, the group was amazing and I learned so much! We had a wonderful Fall/Winter holiday season and I was at the park with friends mid-November handing out individual pumpkin breads wrapped in holiday saran wrapping, tied with ribbon and handmade name cards!
Since then I have encountered the same approach to holiday planning in books and other resources and I’ve adapted it all into my own sort of planning. Some years I don’t do much planning at all and just go with the habits I’ve got in place now. Other years feel a bit more chaotic or I know that things are going to be really busy and I will mentally go through my checklists and adapt things. After last year, and realizing it’s been 10 years, it’s time to reexamine the whole system and adjust it for our lives today, since they are so different than 10 years ago.
How do you do it?!
As I was coming to the realization that it was time to look hard at our plans for Fall and Winter holidays, one of my friends posted on Facebook the very simple question, “How do people do it?” How do they pull it all together in the busyness of life and pull off holidays without losing their minds or breaking their banks? How does anyone get to the end of the year and, despite their exhaustion of energy and funds throughout the year, find the resources to go out with a bang of celebrations?
These questions are answered by the approach I’ve learned. The heart of the answer, though, is that you don’t do it at the end of the year. You start at the beginning of the year if you want it to go really well! Well, you start at least mid year for the end of the year holidays, but I don’t only want a great Hanukkah! I want great celebrations throughout the year! Because my current reality involves many hours of working a fundraiser in December, I’ve come to the realization that I must have EVERYTHING completed by Thanksgiving — at least everything except the things that must be done in December.
The first thing I want you to do is make a list of all of the holidays you are going to be preparing for this year. If you just want to do the end of the year holidays, that is fine! If you want to include Spring holidays, birthdays, family reunions, whatever you celebrate throughout the year, put them on the list! The more you do, the more intense each step will be. You even might want to start with one holiday (like Hanukkah, Christmas or New Year’s Eve since they just finished and are the most fresh in your mind) and then go back and do the process with other holidays. You know yourself, do whatever is going to help you internalize the process and not overwhelm you! The whole point is planning things out so you won’t be overwhelmed — no point in overwhelming yourself in the process 🙂
Next I’ll tell you what to do with the holiday(s) on your list, but for now, just pull your list together. If you feel a bit of panic realizing how many celebrations you’re trying to pull off in a calendar year, relax and be glad you’re going to be getting on top of them this year and think about how much you are going to get to enjoy all of these events compared to years past. This year you get to be the one impressing others. How cool will that be?
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