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You’re probably thinking that self-care and holiday hosting don’t mix. And with all that goes into hosting, I can understand why.
Growing up, I watched as my mom would spend two weeks planning and gathering things for hosting the Christmas holiday for our family. She used to begin preparing ingredients for the food, two days in advance. And would spend the day before cooking everything into the early hours of Christmas morning.
Throughout those days and the day of, she was not her normal self as she attempted to be a one-woman task force. And by the end of it all, I remembered her heading to her bed to sleep for hours the next day.
Today, hosting is a lot different as people are working more while trying to plan the perfect gathering.
The Christmas season can be filled with stressful moments. And as a host that could mean more focus on your guest and less on yourselves. While times may not be like my mom’s days, the effects are still the same.
However, planning for a large family gathering doesn’t have to take all of your energy.
Holiday stresses can cause you to pull out your hair
Most of the stresses of being a host during the holidays typically come from the preparation. When it comes to large gatherings, prepping your home for your guest takes a good amount of your time and planning.
With a checklist in hand, many hosts may feel the effects of having to cater to everyone’s needs.
We hear about it every year. Someone has a million things to do before the big day. And there’s just not enough time to do it all. When it comes to large gatherings, the Christmas holiday could be a stressful time for those hosting.
You look at your checklist and find that you still haven’t shopped for your 5-year-old niece. Or the decorations you ordered for the family table a month ago still hasn’t arrived. Sounds familiar?
Most of the stress of being a host or hostess for the holidays may come from different areas associated with Christmas. And too many times, we can put added pressure on ourselves to make sure everyone we love has a great holiday.
However, in the process of doing so, we drain ourselves of the holiday spirit that’s supposed to come along with Christmas.
Self-care for the holidays can be practiced with ease when following a few extra steps
Self-care of yourself during the holiday season
As difficult as it may sound, hosting for Christmas doesn’t have to be a battle. While the holidays may bring on added stress, making adjustments to your daily routine could help to combat that.
5 self-care tips for the holidays
1. Set a schedule that’s feasible
By setting up a schedule that works for you, it allows you to spread out your task evenly. Try scheduling your holiday hours around your daily ones. Maybe allow for 2 hours of decoration shopping instead of the entire day.
Or set the weekend as your planning days only. Make the schedule work for you and not the other way around.
2. Keep up with your sleeping and eating habits
Christmas planning comes with a change in the way you eat and sleep. Your focus falls mainly on the tasks of hosting. And no matter the preparation, being the host on top of taking care of your daily routines, can take its toll on your sleeping and eating.
Your daily sleeping and eating habits give you that energy needed to make it through your day. And by keeping your routine, you are able to handle your hosting duties with less anxiety and frustration.
3. Don’t wait until the last minute
One thing I noticed about my mom during the Christmas holiday was that she planned ahead. When looking at your tasks, try to get a feel for how long it’ll take. By getting a head start on the things you have to do, you cut your stress off before it starts.
With enough time to plan and organize, you allow yourself time to gather everything. And even better, you allow yourself time to take care of you. Leaving things to the last minute may cause anxiety, a feeling of being overwhelmed, and things not being completed.
So, be sure to spread your tasks out and plan those tasks in specific times.
4. Take a break from it all
Planning for Christmas day is not easy, especially for larger gatherings. And at times it can be overwhelming when you don’t have the extra help. So don’t be afraid to take a moment for yourself.
Whether it’s a few hours or a few days, allow yourself time to relax. And if possible, clear your mind from all the holiday preparation on your plate.
Maybe plan a few hours treating yourself to your favorite treat or some quiet time alone. Just as in your daily stresses, you can treat the holidays just the same.
5. Ask for help with your holiday tasks
No one person can take on everything themselves. So don’t be afraid to ask for help when your task becomes overwhelming. Try enlisting friends, family members in the household, maybe a neighbor to help you with your preparation.
By getting the help you may need, you’re spreading out the responsibility rather than having it all fall on your shoulders. Remember, it doesn’t make you a bad host if you can’t do it all.
Coping with sleepover Christmas guests
Aside from the preparation of hosting the holidays, sometimes there are those guests who come for more than just a day. This could be your parents, siblings, older children just to name a few. And with special guests comes trying to figure out who goes where.
I’ve often heard my co-workers talk about trying to be a good host to sleepover guests. As a host, you’re supplying everything for their needs. Which may mean that you’re not focusing as much on yourself.
Hosting sleepover guests doesn’t have to mean giving up all your time. It’s ok to set some boundaries in your own house. When needed, direct them to supplies in the household. Or let them know you need a moment to relax.
And if they’ve been there before, they may have no problem helping themselves.
Also, straying away from arguments is a great way to make sure your hosting goes well. Sometimes there are those guests who can become unruly. Try taking a step back from the situation. As difficult as it may be at the time, walking away to calm down could be the best thing to do at the moment for you.
Conclusion
Hosting for the holidays combined with good self-care practice could make it a lot smoother to handle. And you may enjoy it a lot more rather than seeing it as a stressful chore.
So, have you hosted for the Christmas holiday? What are some tips you can give for someone hosting for the first time? Feel free to share in the comments below. And don’t forget to pin, like, and share this post for others to enjoy as well.
Until next time, this is Tammy saying keep strong, keep positive. And NOTHING’s impossible!!! Happy Holidays Everyone!!!
Great advice! This year I won’t be doing any hosting because we are in lockdown, but these tips will come in handy next year. Planning ahead is definitely key.
Thanks for sharing your holiday wisdom!
Thank you so much, Tiffany. I’m so glad that this has been helpful for you 🙂
Great tips, I completely agree with not waiting until the last minute! By not doing that alone, you are avoiding so much unnecessary stress. My motto when it comes to hosting, in general, is to not get too tied up in the details. The purpose of the gathering is to enjoy TIME with family/ friends and at the end of the day, that’s what people remember.
Thank you so much, Erika. And you are so right. We sometimes put way too much pressure on ourselves and forget about the true reason for hosting. I appreciate you taking the time to read my post 🙂
I love the idea of setting a schedule and if the work is too much ask for help.
Thank you so much, Virginia 🙂