5 Tips to De-Stress Your Holidays

The holiday season can be a magical time full of fun and excitement- the music, lights and infectious excitement can all add up to a beautiful season that is truly the most wonderful time of the year! However, with all the events, food, parties and gift-giving, the winter holidays can also take their toll on your emotional and physical well-being. Here are some tips for taking the stress out of your festivities so you can be free to deck the halls and light the lights while hanging onto your own inner joy,

Take Time for Yourself- The holiday season is all about spending time with cherished friends and loved ones: family gatherings, big parties and outings with the kids all make the season bright. But in all the hustle and bustle, it can be hard to find time to connect with the most important person- yourself! Taking a little “me-time” out of each day can go a long way towards keeping you centered and free of stress or anxiety as the holidays hit a fever pitch. Whether you choose to unwind with a relaxing bubble bath, cozy up by the fire with a good book, or make it to your morning yoga class, make sure to do something just for you each day so you can combat the delightful chaos of the holidays.

Healthy Holidays- Fun and festive treats are a big part of what makes the holiday season so special. Homemade pumpkin pie, iced sugar cookies and gingerbread are everywhere during this time of year, and candy is literally hanging from the trees, so you can’t blame yourself for indulging in yummy baked goods and sweets a little more than usual. However, if too many visions of sugarplums are dancing in your head, it could be detrimental to your health. Try to space out the sweet treats and stick to a healthy diet in order to feel your best during the holidays. Heavy, sugar- and butter-filled holiday recipes can leave you feeling sluggish, tired and bloated if you overdo it. Try to even it out with fresh fruits and veggies and lean meats, and drink plenty of water- you’ll be amazed by how much more energetic you’ll feel!

Plan Ahead- We all have that one relative whose holiday shopping begins in August, and that other relative who starts buying gifts for loved ones at around 8 PM on Christmas Eve. You can save yourself a lot of stress and hassle by splitting the difference, planning ahead for what you need to do and pacing yourself in the weeks leading up to the big day. Try to begin checking items off of your holiday to-do list earlier than you normally do, so you aren’t overwhelmed by the mountain of tasks that await you as the season ramps up.

Say “No”- With the holidays comes a truckload of events, activities, parties and other commitments that you will be tempted to try to fit in, even if that means having to sacrifice all your free time. Just remember, it’s OK to say no to some of these events! In fact, turning down a party invite here and skipping a holiday craft fair there may end up being more rewarding by allowing you to truly enjoy yourself at the events you do attend. As long as you make sure to make it to the most important holiday events, like your kids’ Christmas program or your best friend’s annual bash, you’ll be able to find the balance that will give you the most cheer!

Stick to the Budget- When you’re in the middle of a beautifully-decorated department store at the mall, or when your favorite shopping site is offering 50% off of everything during their Black Friday sale, it’s hard not to whip out the credit card and start checking off your gift-giving list. However, you’ll feel a lot less merry when you get hit with that credit card bill in January! By creating a holiday shopping budget and sticking to it, you can make sure you don’t overspend and end up in debt, which will lessen your stress considerably!

What’s your favorite way to take the stress out of the holiday season? Please share with us in the comments section.

Closet Organization for a Small Space

It can be difficult to maintain an organized, clutter free closet which contains all of your clothes, shoes and accessories- more so if the space in your closet is minimal. With a little creativity and an ability to think outside the box, you can transform your tiny closet into a model of efficiency. Here are some tips:

Shelve it!- Invest in some “floating” shelves- which are generally inexpensive and easy to install- for your shoes or handbags. These shelves can be installed along a bare wall in your closet, creating functionality in even the tightest spots.

Repurpose your bureau- Moving a chest of drawers inside your closet can maximize vertical space while still providing storage. Placing folded sweaters or T-shirts inside the bureau drawers can free up rod space while still maintaining a tidy, organized system.

Hanging racks make a difference- Hanging racks for shoes, scarves or jewelry can help to keep the clutter to a minimum without sacrificing space in your small closet.

Use accessories as art- Armed with a few Command hooks and a little artistic flair, you can turn your commonplace accessories into a decorative statement inside your closet. Consider hanging vintage hats or designer purses on the wall using the hooks a little bit of functional art.

Clear the clutter- Perhaps the most obvious solution to tidying a tiny closet is to purge some of its contents. Be honest about which items you have really worn in the past year, and donate the rest to a charity or give it away to a friend. Any designer or vintage items you no longer use may even fetch a nice price on eBay!

Any suggestions on how to maximize your closet potential? Let us know in the comments section.

Start the Year Off Right! 8 Tips to Organize Your Home This Winter

Why wait until spring to start your spring cleaning? A new year deserves a fresh start in your home. Here are 8 quick and easy ways to spruce up your house, clear the clutter and get things in order while you await the spring thaw.

 1. Tackle that home office. What better time than a brand new year to sort through your files and important papers and weed out the ones that can be shredded or recycled? Get your desk, shelves and filing cabinets tidy, and while you’re at it, create a file folder of all the things you come across that you will need for your taxes. April 15 isn’t THAT far away, you know!

2. Clean the OTHER desktop. Your computer can get just as cluttered with junk as your actual desktop. Now is a great time to delete old files, empty the trash (that’s Recycle Bin for you PC fans), store photos and other files you wish to save on an external hard drive or cloud drive, and even updating your operating system for maximum speed and performance.

3. Reorganize the cupboards. My kitchen cabinets are like the Bermuda Triangle. I can’t even count how many times I have pulled a perfectly good, but unfortunately now expired, can of soup or box of cookies out from behind the stack of boxes that was blocking my view. Starting the year with tidy, organized cupboards full of food you will actually use is a great way to stick to your New Year’s resolutions, too- that is, if your resolutions include eating healthy or staying budget-conscious. Bonus- any canned or boxed foods that are not past the expiration date but which you know you won’t really eat can go to the local food bank, which can use donations year-round, not just during the holidays.

4. Clear out your spice rack. Did you know spices can expire? After 6 months, they can lose their flavor and possibly even start to taste weird. And are you really going to use that tiny dusting of paprika in the otherwise empty container? Didn’t think so. Toss out all your old spices and take inventory of any replacements you need to buy. For an extra fun way to make your friends roll their eyes at you, put your spices in alphabetical order to make them easier to find.

5. Wrangle the winter wear. Match up all mittens with their mates, hang scarves on a rack created for the purpose of hanging scarves, clear off your coat rack which is probably about to topple over from the weight of so many coats, and hang all the coats back in the closet. A nice wicker basket or bin placed inside the closet is a great way to keep track of gloves, hats and earmuffs, especially when you have kids. Next time you want to build a snowman, you’ll know where all your outerwear is!

6. Schedule your appointments. Dental checkups, pediatric visits, gyno appointments, eye exams- get it all scheduled at the beginning of the year and keep track of appointment dates and times on a wall calendar in the kitchen or another room you’re in often, or on your phone or tablet. Set appointment reminders to beep when the appointment is imminent. Never miss another tooth cleaning!

7. Clean out your closets. Go through all your clothes and divide into two categories: keep or give away. Be ruthless- if you haven’t worn it in two years, it goes in the giveaway pile. If any of the clothes you wish to keep have stains, rips, or need to be dry cleaned, put aside for mending or cleaning. Go through your kids’ closets and pull out anything that no longer fits or needs to be replaced. Round up all your giveaways and drive to your local charity donation center immediately after cleaning the closets- you won’t end up procrastinating and leaving the bags of clothes in the garage for 6 months if you drive it right over while you’re on a roll.

8. Sort your pots and pans. If there are any you don’t use regularly, or if you recently got a new set of cookware, donate the ones you no longer use to charity. Hanging racks for pot/pan lids are a convenient and affordable way to minimize clutter and ensure that you will always be able to find the right lid at the right time.