Holiday Tips and Tricks

It’s December and you know what that means…the temperatures go down and the green and red decorations go up! It’s the holiday season and ‘tis the season to be stressed. Shopping, family, cooking, and decorating all happening at once. Do not worry though, here are some tricks and tactics to get ready for these holly jolly days!

Plan Ahead

You can never plan too early for anything. Planning ahead gets rid of 90% of the last-minute stress and worry. Write a list of all the things that YOU want to get done and need to get done before the holidays come. Planning days ahead will assure that your holiday plans will be a success.

Money Is Key

Saving money before the holidays is another really big stress reliever. Also, making a list of gifts and setting a budget helps. You can see how much money you need before you buy anything! Managing your money every week can also help. Set aside a little in a savings account every week and it will add up.

The Hassle of Travel

Just thinking about traveling during the holiday season scares people. Families, every year, travel for the holidays to see family, go somewhere warmer because of December’s harsh weather, or just to get away for a week while everyone is home from work and school. A lot of stress comes with traveling though. Deciding when to go, where to go, and what to do. Here are three steps to ensure you have a perfect holiday vacation.

• Make sure your money situation is already covered before you even start planning. You need money for EVERYTHING when you’re on vacation, so just set up a budget and you’ll be golden.

• PLAN PLAN PLAN! Have a vacation schedule that includes activities you and your family will enjoy. Having no schedule equals a stressful and scattered mess. Scheduling will take off 99% of the stress; everyone can enjoy themselves and not have to worry about last-minute planning.

• Buy your tickets way ahead of time. Once you find out where you are going, make sure to jump on the tickets. Literally everyone goes on vacation at this time of year and flights are always full, so book tickets before. This will almost assure you and your family a successful holiday vacation!

Family Time

This is the last and most important factor in having a perfect holiday. Spend all of your time with your family! This is a loving and special time for all families. The season comes once a year, so live it up because you’ll have to wait another year to experience the joy and happiness of the holidays. Do fun activities with your family like cooking the holiday dinner and baking delicious sweets. Decorate the house and be as festive as you can. Exchange gifts to see smiles from all family members. Most importantly, make memories and capture all the little moments. These are times you’ll never get back, so make sure to take photos and videos of the laughs with your family so you all can look back on it and smile.

The time is almost here and the stress is coming fast. You can avoid that holiday stress if you just follow these steps to have a perfect holiday for you, and most importantly, your family. Have a wonderful and safe holiday this year from all of us students in the MHS publications class.