3 Ways to Make the Holidays Less Stressful this December

Across Canada, families are preparing for the holidays. Between shopping for gifts, putting up Christmas decorations, and making final plans to spend time with friends and family, December is a whirlwind of good cheer — but it is also one of the busiest and most stressful months of the year.

While most of us treasure the holiday season as a time to step back from our usual concerns and focus on the things that really matter, the hustle and bustle that comes with preparations for Christmas and New Years can at times outweigh the peace and joy that come with celebrating with friends and family.

Increasingly, Canadians are looking for ways to deescalate this stress by streamlining Christmas plans or cutting out the most time-consuming and frustrating tasks altogether. If you want to spend less time shopping, planning, and stressing out and more time celebrating, here are three ways you can make things easier for yourself and your family this December.

1. Focus on the Events that Matter

One of the reasons why Christmas is so busy is that in addition to the holiday itself, there tend to be a lot of extra events like office Christmas parties, Christmas concerts, and school recitals that occur at the same time of year.

It is easy to get overwhelmed by all these extra parties and events, so this year pick three or four important events to focus on, and politely decline the rest. Not only will this free up a little more time, it will make the events you do attend more enjoyable.

2. Order Groceries Online

For most families, food is at the very centre of holiday celebrations. Recipes are handed down, new dishes are introduced, and the highlight of every gathering is when everyone sits down at the table to share in a Christmas feast.

But making sure there is enough food for everyone and sourcing high quality ingredients isn’t easy, and butcher shops and grocery stores often sell out of popular dishes like hams and roasts very quickly.

This year, save yourself time by ordering meat online through services like truLOCAL that can deliver all of your favourite cuts straight to your door. With services like these, you can skip the line at the grocery store and get delicious local meats for less. Click here to learn more about fresh meat delivery in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.  

3. Give Fewer Gifts

For children, one of the great joys of Christmas is, naturally, the receiving of gifts. But in large families where the children are grown and everyone has several people to shop for, giving every individual person a gift is expensive, and finding gifts for everyone can be exhausting.

This is one of the reasons why a major holiday trend of the past decade has been a reduced emphasis on gift-giving. Families may opt to exchange smaller, less expensive presents, or each family member may be assigned one person to shop for. This is a great way to ensure that everyone receives something nice without placing a huge financial burden on every member of the family.  

Despite the busyness and stress that come with Christmas, many Canadians still list it as their favourite holiday — and for good reason. Coming at the end of the year, Christmas is a perfect time to take stock of the things that matter, and by focusing on a handful of important events, ordering meat online, and giving fewer gifts, you can keep the focus where it should be: on celebrating with your loved ones.