5 Easy Tips for Relieving Holiday Stress
(Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Mirum, and all the opinions expressed and photographs are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make The Naptime Chef possible.)
Halloween is ovah and it’s time for the real holiday season to kick into high gear! For most of us busy parents that very sentence strikes mild panic into our hearts. Are we really read for hosting relatives/decorating/wrapping/socializing and the like? How on Earth will be handle it all? Don’t get me wrong, I love and adore the holiday season, but it is definitely not the most laid-back time of the year.
So! Today I’m here with five easy ways to relieve holiday stress. These are some easy peasy quick-fixes that will help the next two months go off without a hitch. Promise!
1. Plan Menus NOW: I know menu planning is not necessarily everyone’s favorite topic. However, planning menus for Thanksgiving, cocktail parties, Christmas Dinner, kids parties and more makes such a difference. Can you envision the difference between “oh, I’m making potatoes and cocktail nuts for Thanksgiving!” and opening your cupboard and fridge for the ingredients…versus running to the store the day before, sharpening your elbows and hoping for the best while you sweat it out in the crowds?! Advance planning helps you get ingredients in the cupboard, the right cookbooks pulled from your shelf, and all the worrying out the way. Ahh, now doesn’t that feel better?
2. Pick three simple recipes for breakfast and lunch and put them in rotation. Planning the big celebratory meals is fun, but planning breakfast and lunch can be an afterthought. Yes, leftovers are always an option, but what about the kids? And your great Aunt who just came to town? Many mouths to feed! Pick three recipes everyone likes, buy the ingredients, and get them in heavy rotation. Soups, hearty salads, and paninis are popular choices in our house!
3. Give everyone a job. Many hands make light work, and there is no time when that matters more than the holiday season. Everyone, and I mean everyone, can contribute to the running of the household during the holidays. Laundry, pet care, tidying up and more all require energy and effort. If one person tackles each job it will keep your house running easily and effortlessly!
4. Stock the medicine cabinet! In our house it’s rare that the holidays pass without a sniffle, upset stomach, or heartburn episode. For that reason I always head to the drugstore and buy Omeprazole ODT so we have it on hand, especially if I am traveling. There have been times when I’ve gotten heartburn from too-rich holiday meals, or a poorly chosen meals eaten on-the-fly at the airport. It’s such a bummer to be taken down with heartburn discomfort! We choose this pill because it is effective and super easy-to-take. It simply dissolves on your tongue and provides relief for up to 24 hours. I often take it once a day when we are in the thick of it with holiday eating so I don’t have to test the waters with a potential heartburn episode. Knowing I won’t have to miss a single thing due to heartburn pain is a huge relief!
5. Cherish Traditions: Even during the holidays we do our best to “slow down to speed up” and that means setting aside time for the truly important traditions we love. For my children and I it’s about decorating holiday cookies every day after school for an entire week! We also have a lovely family tradition of chopping down our Christmas tree at a farm up north and caroling with friends on Christmas Eve. There is no end to memories we love to create, and that, above all, is the most important part of the holiday season and beyond.
Disclaimer: Omeprazole Delayed Release Orally Disintegrating Table 20 mg (Omeprazole ODT) treats frequent heartburn; occurring 2 or more days a week. It is not intended for immediate relief and may take 1-4 days for full effect, although some people get complete relief of symptoms within 24 hours. Individual results may vary.