Do you make these holiday mistakes?

With everything going on this season it is easy to let some mistakes slide by. Here are some of the holiday mistakes I make and how I try to resolve them.

I am the type of person who tends to always want to say Yes and strives for perfection! I often spread myself too thin. This is one of the biggest holiday no-no’s. Learning your limits and your families limits seems like a no brainer but honestly with all the invites, to-do lists, and keeping a stable family life is stressful. I catch myself agreeing to things even before I know what I already have planned. A simple way to be respectful and not just blurt out no is to ask the person if you could get back to them once you get yourself organized. This gives you time to breathe, think and not insult the person. Keeping your options open and seeing if you can actually fit that request in. Everyone has a lot to do around the holidays and I am sure they will understand if you explain to them. Another thing is not saying no to the children. Children can tell when you are getting overwhelmed and will not miss a chance to take advantage of this holiday mistake. Telling kids no during the holidays will not make you the Grinch. Explain to them that sometimes we can always have our way. Use this time as a learning experience and things will go a lot smoother. So, by all means just say NO!

Holidays can wreak havoc on our organized lives so another big mistake many of us make is not keeping a semblance of our normal routines. Children, pets and most adults can benefit from having a normal routine. For the sake of your own sanity please try to keep your schedule as close to regular as possible. Over extending yourself, breaking eating habits and stress of not having a routine can cause major upsets. Keeping a routine helps pets and children to not feel so overwhelmed and moody. It’s easy to say lets just skip one nap, dinner wont be until 8 tonight or I can’t sit down to help with homework. For you it might not be a big deal but for a child routine is security. Sacrificing your own sleep is also a big holiday mistake. We need our rest to keep the pace going this Christmas, deal with stress and of course the ever important sanity!

This season can be a trying time for any relationship. It sometimes feels easier to just do everything ourselves. Communication is a must during busy, stressful times. Your partner and Children need you to not just snap or ignore a situation when it arises. Men tend not to care so much about the small details like making sure all the place settings are correct on the table. Let them know what means the most to you and what you would love help with. Be CLEAR! No one is a mind reader so you are going to have to use your words. Spending quality time at night to chat with the family and “check in” is certainly a big help for my family. We love to go over our day, discuss problems, annoyances and share in what we enjoyed. Working together and being on the same page is always the best method to avoiding those blow ups. If you do lose your cool take time to apologize and teach your children. No one is perfect.

Last but certainly not least is over purchasing and over gifting. The holidays are not about how much money you spend or how much you receive. If you come from a large family like I do you know how expensive buying for everyone can be. In my family we have made a rule that we only purchase gifts for the children 18 and under. We buy for immediate family and not our second cousins twice removed. For the older children and adults we have a rule that the gift can be something homemade. It helps to inspire them to be creative, thoughtful and of course money savvy. Teaching the meaning of the holidays to our children is important. Save your bank account and please don’t make this BIG holiday mistake. Keep in mind how you will feel once that bill comes after the holidays. No one wants more debt and homemade gifts are just as special as the ones you buy in the store.

Have an extraordinary Christmas and try to avoid these holiday pitfalls.