10 Tips To Prepare You For An Enjoyable Holiday Season

Can anyone guess how much this pumpkin weighs? It doesn't look heavy but holy cow it was way heavier than it looks!

Black Top// Similar White Jeans// Sunglasses

Leopard Flats:

I certainly don't think I just speak for myself in that the 4th quarter of the year is a crazy busy time! September and October bring tailgates, weddings, fall festivals, back-to-school, Halloween, and so much more. And then once we move into November and December, it's full-on holiday events, parties, decorating, shows, gatherings, shopping, wrapping, cooking, baking, etc. 

It's so much fun but at the same time, the magic of the season can often be overshadowed by a crowded mind and life! I've felt that more and more as I get older- anyone else? I thought I would share a few things that I do starting right now that help to set me up for a hectic Q4. Less stress means more time for me to savor my favorite time of year.  

A lot of these things I am going to share are really simple and easy but they truly make a difference in my sanity and might help you, too! 

Actively Unsubscribe to Emails

Around this time of year, I get flooded with marketing emails. I typically make a note to unsubscribe to any promotional emails that I don't want to receive. I am someone who loves to get to inbox 0, so I always try to limit the number of random emails I receive. Waking up to a lower number of e-mails in the morning is a lot more calming than you might think!!!

Clean Out Your Photo Roll
This is another digital item that you can accomplish. Next time your sitting waiting for a meeting or appointment or while you're watching a show, go through your camera roll and delete anything you can. This will free up space for you to snap all of the holiday photos, and hopefully, make your phone run faster. Try backing your phone up while you're at it, too! 

Start a Routine

I actively started my workout routine in early September because I knew that the sooner I started the routine, the more 'routine' it would become before the craziness of the holiday season arrived. So whether you want to work out on a regular basis or host a book club or whatever it may be, start it now so you are in the routine of it by the time November gets here (crazy that is only a few weeks away!!). When you are into your routine, you are less likely to skip whatever it is and hopefully, you can stick to whatever it is throughout the rest of 2019 and into the new year.  

Clean

During the holiday season, you never know when you are going to have guests over to your home. You also never know when you are going to have time to clean. That's why I always say to be proactive about it! Do a deep clean when you can (and even if you aren't expecting company any time soon). Once you do a deep clean, it's much easier to maintain! And if you are feeling overwhelmed, now is the time to hire help (like a maid) so cleaning isn't something that stresses you out during the holidays! I wrote a blog post about cleaning for the holidays, here, and it has been one of my most popular posts! 

Use a Meal Delivery/Grocery Delivery Service

For me, one of the first things that go out the window when I am busy is cooking at home and grocery shopping. Eating out or ordering take out is not only unhealthy but can also add up in cost! I find doing meal services like Hello Fresh or Blue Apron forces me to cook at home even when busy! And if you're not into a meal service like that, you can also get your groceries delivered. We just got a new service here in Pittsburgh that I am itching to try out. I think about all of the Sundays I arrive home to an empty refrigerator and the last thing I want to do is run out to the grocery store. With a grocery delivery service, you can literally order the groceries to arrive on your doorstep as you are arriving home from your weekend.  Even if you are not someone who typically does a meal service or grocery delivery, I really think it's a simple and affordable way to outsource a task at your busiest times!

Shop Year-Round for Gifts

I am 100% the kind of person that shops for gifts year-round. It saves money because I can wait for certain sales but it is also amazing when December rolls around and my Christmas shopping is totally done. At my most organized point, I will often wrap a gift as soon as I buy it and then label it with a sticky note. This can also help you to budget! Gifting all at once is pricey, so it's also nice to be able to spread out that cost! 

Get Things Tailored

Do you have a favorite LBD and have recently lost weight? Or did you buy a gorgeous dress on major sale last January for this holiday season and forgot you bought it a size too big?! Getting things tailored now will prevent you from finding out the item of clothing doesn't fit just a few hours before an event (this has definitely happened to me before!!)

Order Christmas Cards Now

If you can, seriously order them now. Start writing notes, addressing, etc. Even if you just address all of the envelopes and then write notes/etc. later, this is a huge time saver. I order my holiday cards SO early every year. In fact, I'm ordering mine this week! I know a lot of people say you can print addresses and your note, etc. but I think doing everything handwritten is a much more personal and meaningful thing to do. Even if you don't want to hand write addresses, I think you should ALWAYS write something personal in your own handwriting on a Christmas card (business or personal). It's time-consuming, but if you do 15 minutes here and there throughout the next few weeks, you could be ready to send out your holiday cards on December 1st! 

Decorate Early

I know this happens to us each year... My mom tries to schedule decorating the tree after Thanksgiving but also when my sister is in town and I am available and it's hard to make that happen!! A study came out and it basically says that you could be happier if you decorate earlier. SO, don't feel like you have to wait until after Thanksgiving! It's late this year, too! This will be the first year we have a tree in our home and I fully plan on putting it up mid-November! Why only enjoy it for a month when you can enjoy it a little longer?! And, why not put it up before Thanksgiving and Christmas when you likely have a little more free time?!

Keep Cards On Hand

I learned this trick from my mom! How many times are you ready to go to a wedding and realize you haven't bought a card yet? I keep cards on hand at all times for different events like engagements, weddings, showers, baby showers, baptisms, graduations, deaths, etc. That way I am prepared for any occasion!

Thank you to Walmart for sponsoring this post. Did you know that Walmart  has such a big selection of clothes, shoes, accessories, bags, and more? I typically lean towards classic pieces and am always so pleased when Walmart has such a big selection of classics (like this simple Black Top) at a low price!