Tag: holiday stress

Benefit from a Boxing Week

Posted on by Jordank

Yesterday was Boxing Day, a holiday observed in Great Britain since the Middle Ages that rewarded servants and employees who couldn’t celebrate Christmas on the 25th of the month with a box of presents, food, money or another appreciation for their service. The tradition likely arose in the early Christian era, when churches used alms boxes to collect special offerings for the feast of St. Stephen, typically celebrated on Dec. 26.

People in former British colonies such as Canada and Australia see Boxing Day as a shopping holiday similar to Black Friday, and in the United States, savvy consumers can take advantage of the first post-holiday markdowns. Others, however, use the day simply to relax after a busy holiday season or observe Boxing Day in the most literal way: by boxing up holiday decorations for storage and unwanted gifts to return to stores.

As you recover from the holiday hubbub, VVA suggests that you observe Boxing Day all week long. When you take down the tree and pack up your holiday decorations, check to see if there are any extra ornaments or other seasonal items that you no longer need. When you bag up items of clothing that just aren’t your style or size for return, make up another bag of lightly-used items for donation. Then call ClothingDonations.org to schedule a pickup.

The proceeds from your donations will support programs that help clothe, feed and house veterans nationwide — a great way to show appreciation for people who have dedicated their lives in service to their country, similar to Boxing Day’s original intent. And your home will return to its everyday state with that little bit of additional space you made by bagging, boxing and getting rid of the stuff you just don’t need.

Clutter can make people “crazy, ” according to Cleveland Clinic psychologist Scott Bea, by leading to chronic distraction, stress and depression. So if you really want to relax after the holidays, start by clearing out a few things you no longer need or want. You may find that establishing a Boxing Week tradition now will supply you with good cheer all year long.

Get Organized Before Santa Arrives

Posted on by Jordank

Christmas is now only a few days away, and whether you’re responsible for cooking, giving, hosting, entertaining or all of the above, you probably still have a lot of chores to do. You want your holiday to go off without a hitch, and there’s not much time left to make sure everything is “just so.”

You’ve cleaned and decluttered the house, and maybe even donated some of your unused clothing and other stuff to ClothingDonations.org. You’ve decorated the tree and lit the lights. You’ve sent the holiday cards and party invites. You’ve even decided what you’ll serve at the holiday feast, but you still may feel a little bit frazzled by the final countdown.

Get Packing

The final week of the holiday season has any number of deadlines to observe. Dec. 21 is the last day to drop Priority Mail packages off at the post office so that they might arrive by Christmas; Amazon Prime subscribers have an extra day to shop and take advantage of free two-day shipping. Wait, and you’ll pay a premium to get your packages in time for the weekend.

Three days ahead, Real Simple advises in its comprehensive holiday checklist, those hosting a holiday dinner can buy any fresh ingredients needed and set the holiday table. Two days out, you can start cooking. Many dishes actually improve in the refrigerator overnight, and making them ahead of time will cut the stress on the crucial day-of.

On the final day before the holiday, charge up any camcorders or cameras you’ll use to record the good cheer, and buy extra batteries for all the little gadgets people are going to unwrap. Polish off your cooking preparations, and create a timeline for whatever has to go in the oven on the feast day itself.

Do any last-minute gift-wrapping that needs to be done, and give the house a quick once-over for the weekend ahead. And finally, take the time to do whatever it is you like to do to relax before the big day.

You may not be able to do everything on your list, but you can do enough to make the holiday a success if you start now. As Clean & Scentsible blogger Jenn Lifford says, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” Things can (and will) go wrong, but you can leave less to chance by getting organized.

Have a Happy & Healthy Holiday!

Take the Stress Out of Party Planning

Posted on by Jordank

The key to a perfect holiday may be in accepting the tiny shortcomings that your get-togethers might have, stress-management experts told Good Housekeeping. To make party planning easier, prepare any settings or dishes you can well ahead of the event, delegate tasks, and stage a buffet of decadent finger foods instead of a sit-down meal.