Work at Home Moms + Holidays = STRESS
Christmas in general tends to be a stressful time. Though we are supposed to enjoy family time, peace and joy, it all gets lost in the rush to get gifts, cooking holiday specialties, rushing from one Christmas party to another and getting the house decorated. Work at home moms have it even worse . . . kids bouncing off the walls and screaming “Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells!” at the top of their lungs while you try to get yet another order ready to go out.
So, how can you relax during the busy holiday season if you are a work at home mom? With all the stress and pressure to have the perfect Christmas . . . it isn´t easy. Here are a few ideas to help you survive this time of year.
- Go for a walk. Ignore the dishes for ten minutes while you stride around the block. The fresh air will help clear your mind and if you take the kids, they can run off some energy.
- Don´t put the gifts under the tree until Christmas Eve. This is a trick my mother had. She knew that as soon as we saw those presents sitting there, we would just go bonkers and be hyperactive until the 25th. They may be decorative, but if you keep the presents in your closet, your kids will probably be a bit calmer.
- Order online. Many online stores offer rush delivery for this season and you´ll save a LOT of time by not battling holiday crowds for hours on end, just to discover that your child´s coveted toy is not in stock.
- Buy your food. There´s no reason why you have to make everything from scratch, even if you have every other year. Work at home moms are entitled to a little cheating now and then, so buy a fruitcake at the supermarket and put it on a plate, add a sprinkle of icing sugar and take that to the church party instead of making your own. Pre-cooked turkeys are ideal for Christmas dinner, too, if you´re hosting, and you won´t be forced to wake up super early to cook on the 25th.
- Limit the parties. There are probably three or four parties that you feel you really must attend, such as your husband´s office party or your best friend´s fiesta. But just say no to the rest. You probably get more invitations than moms who work in an office, since people will figure you are free, so gently remind them that this is your busy season and you have to work extra these days.
- Get some good music. If the sound of chintzy sleigh bells is setting your teeth on edge and the chorus of off-key kids singing “O Christmas Tree” makes you nauseous, get some real Christmas music. Boney M
has a beautiful Christmas album, or you might like something without words, just instrumental Christmas tunes
. Listening to this type of holiday music can actually relax you rather than drive you nuts.
- Hire some help. If you are having people over and there are packing peanuts and tape laying around all over the place, why not hire a maid, just for one day? It takes the pressure off and you can focus on either working or preparing the feast.
If your home business is particularly busy this time of year, it´s worth getting some help and cutting back on your expectations. Even super organized work at home moms have troubles during the holiday season! So, relax, say no to a couple of parties and listen to some great music while you send off that last round of holiday orders.
Cutting back on expectations is the important thing. We’ve always had low-key Christmases, even when my daughter was little. We would do our Christmas shopping and gift-wrapping before Thanksgiving and then, for the most part, forget about Christmas until Christmas Eve. My husband and I don’t like hubbub, and my daughter still has fond memories of the season. Good luck!