Like it or not the hustle and bustle is here. From now until Christmas Eve, you'll be shopping, decorating, wrapping, baking and readying your family for the holidays. It can be a lot.
"So many of us are thinking about how we can manage the holidays with more ease and grace."
Mia Redrick, says there are a few things to help that can help....you can start with online shopping.
"I will buy 4 or 5 things that I know most people love okay, maybe my favorite soaps or candles and then I box pack gifts in advance. If you pop over to my house at any time I've got a gift for that surprise guest that came. Those are the things that are stressful. Somebody shows up to bring you a gift and you don't have a gift for them.
What about a gift for Aunt Anne or Cousin Charlie? The Mom Strategist has a suggestion for that too.
"A lot of people love gift cards. They can chose what they want. It takes the stress away."
While shopping for younger children can quadruple that stress. Redrick says technology can ease those crazy days or nights in Toys R Us, Target or Walmart.
"Here's the deal, kids today are very computer savvy. Parents ask your kids to do a list for you and ask for the hyperlink for the thing that they want and then it makes shopping really easy. We just go down the list. We already have the link to Amazon or the Lego store or whatever it is and you now we just go and click and buy it."
What if you’re not home for the holidays?
"If I'm traveling for the holidays what I love to do is to send a fruit arrangement, edibles is great and they ship throughout the country. I typically will do that if I'm not hosting dinner and I'll send it to whoever is hosting dinner."
Redrick says whether you're creating new traditions or enjoying old ones sometimes you have to be intentional about getting everyone together.
"We're all so busy, caught up in getting things done that we forget to focus on things that matter most which is connecting."
