Do you remember the joy and wonder you experienced as a child during the holiday season? From Halloween straight through New Years, your days were probably full of songs, games, gifts, food and parties. As we get older, we start to feel some of that magic fade away. We rack up the bills buying gifts, baking supplies, tickets to holiday shows, and more. We stress ourselves to the limit making travel plans, planning parties and making sure that we get every minute filled with holiday fun to try to get back some of that joy we felt as kids. Does overbuying and overplanning really bring back the joy?

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In her book Stress Free Holidays: Bring Back Joy & Peace Rebecca Cofiño provides a plan for those of us who are still looking for peace and joy in their holidays. From scheduling to spending, she touches on a variety of things that add to the holiday blur. (This post contains affiliate links. I was provided a copy of the book for review purposes, but all thoughts are my own).

Get off the fast track!

As Christmas decorations appear in stores earlier and earlier, it’s easy to think of the last three months of the year as one big holiday blur. Cofiño characterizes this as the “Holiday Express”. When we jump on the Holiday Express, we are on the fast track through the end of the year. We stuff our schedules (and our mouths) while emptying our wallets and running ourselves ragged. To combat this, Cofiño lays out a very easy to follow plan. She offers tips for paring down the schedule and altering your purchasing patterns. She also reminds you to take time to give yourself some much needed slack.

The book also includes the “Great Holiday To Do List”, a comprehensive list created by Cofiño. It is extremely eye opening, breaking down all of the things you may be doing to prepare for the holidays. Cofiño uses this to show how important it is to budget your time and energy over the holidays, as well as your finances. Why do we let ourselves get so overworked that we don’t have time or energy left over to enjoy all of the hard work we put in? Cofiño gives concrete ways to cut your list without cutting things that are important to you.

Take time for yourself

So many of us spend the build up to the holidays planning, prepping, decorating and baking. Do we every really get to enjoy all of it? Cofiño reminds readers to really spend time over the holidays making sure that you are present and enjoying the time with your loved ones. She offers meditation tips and gives readers guidance to figure out what the holidays mean to them, whether they are religious or not. She also provides sections on healthy eating to combat the over-indulgence that has become synonymous with this time of year.
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For those of us who sometimes feel like we are struggling to get back the magic that we experienced as children, or pressuring ourselves to ensure that our children also feel that same magic, Cofiño’s book provides a great guide to lessening your guilt, letting go of the pressure and enjoying all that the holiday already has to offer! While you may not like all of her ideas, utilizing just a few of her tips can still help you to enjoy these months before you find yourself in the middle of January wondering where it all went!

Do you have any tips for lessening the holiday burden?