20+ Easy Holiday Hacks To Simplify The Season

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The fall and Christmas season is upon us and with it comes events, parties, family traditions, cookies to bake, costumes to get… whew! It’s the best time of the year but wow the calendar can explode like dynamite!  

I don’t know about you, friend, but the holidays can hold a lot of expectations and pressures. It’s all in how we approach them. 

• Do we choose to simplify, or do we try to do it all?
• Can we plan ahead, or do we try to cram too much in at the last minute?
• Do we embrace the imperfections, or do we hustle for perfectionism?

In my holiday resource, The Busy Mom’s Holiday Planner, I help you walk through making the right choices and keeping it fun and magical for you, your spouse, and your kids! 

With my planner you can truly hack the season by utlizing:

Let’s tackle the holidays with intention and joy! While I know the to do list can run long, today I’m sharing some of my best holiday hacks to help YOU simplify the season!

My List Of Easy & Doable Holiday Hacks To Simplify The Season

TIPS FOR STAYING ORGANIZED!

• Stay organized! Start with the big picture. Don’t lose track of dates, parties, and deadlines–when you’re hosting and what you’re in charge of! This will give you so much peace of mind. My #1 hack to help with this is my foolproof holiday planner!

• Number your gifts so you remember what’s inside! // I heard this tip recently and loved it! You put a tiny number on the gift tag (1, 2, 3, 4) etc. and then in a notebook or the Gift List app, write down the same number next to each gift. This is especially helpful if you are saving a “big gift” for last or if 2 gifts go together. For example Airpods + Airpod case – you wouldn’t want your recipient to open the case before the AirPods. In instances like this, it helps to keep everything organized once the gifts are wrapped and under the tree! 

• Download the Gift List app! // This holiday hacks app helps you stay organized with what you’ve bought for each person, how much the gift cost, and the total amount spent for Christmas gifts. It is a great free app option for budgeting during the holidays!

• Designate a folder in your email or an envelope in your home for all receipts! // Anyone else go crazy at the holidays with the number of receipts you are trying to keep track of? I love having one spot I can throw each receipt so I don’t lose them in case returns need to be made!

TIPS FOR SAVORING THE SEASON!

• Print my fun & family friendly Christmas traditions bucket list! Choose the memory-making opportunities that matter most to your family (you don’t have to do everything)! Place it on your fridge to check off throughout the season with your family!

• Make it fun for your littles! // Don’t forget how special this time of year is for your kids!! See the wonder of Christmas through their eyes. Take the time to bake the cookies, make the crafts, wrap the presents together, ALL the things!

• Take advantage of free holiday activities for kids in your community! // We are always on the hunt for fun and FREE activities to take the boys to during the holiday season. From parades to Santa visits and tree lightings, there is always SOMETHING happening!

• Don’t be afraid to “decide once” as Lazy Genius says. // DECIDE ONCE and be DONE, mama! This tip is all about simplifying. Figure out ways you can decide once and repeat that same decision. For example, one type of gift for all the teachers or all the nieces and nephews and BAM – you’re done!

TIPS FOR STAYING HEALTHY!

• Keep simple dinner recipes ready to go! Take one enormous thing off your plate by stocking your pantry and freezer NOW so you always have dinner options on hand (I personally love THIS recipe and I’ve been making variations of it a ton recently! <3 )

• Don’t forget to take care of your HEALTH during the holidays! // Yes… I’m talking drinking your water, staying on top of your vitamins & supplements routine, eating clean, and carving out the time to exercise!

TIPS FOR HOSTING & ATTENDING PARTIES!

• Always have a few hostess gifts on hand! You never want to arrive to someone’s house empty-handed at the holidays. Stock up on these pretty Amazon kitchen finds that are both affordable and beautiful to easily pull together a pretty hostess gift in no time!

• Keep the bar stocked! // That means it’s time for a liquor store run, haha! You always want to have something to serve for those last minute get togethers or unexpected guests. If you need any fun & festive recipes, click HERE for all of our favorite holiday cocktails!

• Use the fireplace on Netflix / Youtube! // We have a fireplace but here, in the south, sometimes it’s 85 degrees on Christmas Day. If you don’t have a fireplace or you need to avoid the warmth of a real fire, head to Netflix or Youtube to set the mood! This is a fun addition to any holiday get together!

• Make something ahead of time for Christmas morning! // No one wants to be busy in the kitchen on Christmas morning! Put together a recipe of your choice ahead of time to pull out of the fridge or freezer. We love this bake ahead breakfast casserole!

• Try a charcuterie board for hosting this season! // If you incorporate low carb days into your routine or try to eat keto and you are hosting a party of some sort, go with a charcuterie board! It’s a great way to stay in your macros while still enjoying all the meats, cheeses, dips, veggies, etc. Just avoid any crackers, breads, and starchy veggies! Click HERE for all my tips on building the best charcuterie board!

• Order Scentsicles on Amazon to make your home smell festive! // Have you ever heard of this fun and affordable way to add scent to your fake Christmas tree? We love stocking up on these scented ornaments from Amazon every holiday season to make our home truly smell like the season!

• Schedule a gift wrapping party with some of your closest girlfriends! // Quality time can quickly fall to the bottom of the to-do list during the holidays. One thing I’ve loved doing in the past is scheduling a girlfriend gift wrapping party! By doing this, you can catch up with girlfriends or sisters as you knock wrapping gifts off your to do list! Highly recommend this festive cocktail while you’re wrapping! 😉

• Save this for a go-to appetizer & time saving hack! // Do you know your go-to appetizer anytime you get a last-minute invite to someone’s house during the holidays OR you need to whip up something quick for guests coming over? We love this easy deviled egg recipe (which is also low carb/keto friendly!) and in this post, I share how I give my eggs an ICE BATH to save time and make peeling easy!

TIPS FOR SAVING MONEY & BEING RESOURCEFUL!

• Donate your live Christmas tree to the zoo! // If you go the real tree route and never know what to do with your tree after Christmas, I recently heard that local zoos accept donated live trees as they will use them in their animal exhibits.

• Add gifts you know you want to buy to an Amazon wishlist! Of course, make sure the list is PRIVATE but by doing this, you are creating an EASY list to go back in and quickly check periodically to see which items might be on sale. When you add items to a wishlist, Amazon will even notify you if it’s the lowest price in last 30 days! When you buy gifts from Amazon, always click the “gifting option” and tape the gift receipt to the gift so your recipient can easily return or exchange as needed. ALSO if you aren’t in a rush on receiving your shipments, choose the “no rush shipping” option. By doing this on each Amazon purchase during the holidays, you’ll rack up the $1 digital credits and can spend those on ebooks, audio books, etc. 

• Buy the bigger gift sets at Costco! // Buy those big gift sets at Costco and break them up amongst several gifts. For example, Costco usually has big packs of gift card, candles, or kids books for a discounted price and you can divide those amongst stockings, gift baskets, etc.

• Take advantage of free shipping day! // Did you know “free shipping day” was a thing? It’s on the calendar and everything! If you missed free shipping with Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales, you can usually still score free shipping on free shipping day! Save any online orders for this day so you can save a few bucks on shipping fees!

My friend, Brendt at She Gave It A Go, has one of my favorite holiday hacks! With the ongoing hosting that comes with the holiday season, it is important to style your house for the season. Brendt shares how she styles her farmhouse blanket ladder for the season!

Do you have holiday hacks I need to add to my list? Leave me a comment below or head over to Instagram and send me a DM! Let’s simplify this holiday season together!

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Heather Brown helps busy mamas of young littles who are caught in the hustle to find encouragement in their journey to true health, from the inside out, starting with the heart. Read her journey of learning to live a life well-loved HERE!