Stress Less This Holiday: How to Simplify Now
The holiday season is the best… and it's also a lot.
If last year, you promised yourself you wouldn’t cram the entire month of December into one long marathon. You swore you’d bake fewer things, buy fewer gifts, attend fewer holiday events, and try to actually feel the magic of the season instead of sprinting through it. This blog is meant to be your accountability buddy!
So before the pace picks up — before the gift exchange invitations roll in, before your living room is taken over by holiday decorations, and before the group texts start blasting “Who’s hosting?” — I want to help you take a deep breath and slow it all down.
Think of this blog as your sloth-inspired reset:A blend of project management, marketing simplicity, slow-living, and home-organization tips… all working together to help you create a calmer, simpler holiday.
Because the easiest way to lower your stress level isn’t doing more — it’s doing less, earlier, and with intention.
Let’s simplify now so December actually feels like December.
1. Set Your Intentions for the Season
Most people jump straight into shopping, planning, and prepping, but the first step to a simpler holiday is defining what that looks like for YOU.
Ask yourself:
What is the most important thing to me this winter holiday?
What do I want this season to feel like? Cozy? Calm? Connected? Sacred? Fun?
How do I want to spend my quality time? And with whom?
Your answers become your holiday boundaries, your “yeses,” your “no thank yous,” your to-do list, and—maybe most importantly—your no list.
This is how you let go of perfection and avoid taking on things that sound festive but drain you. Defining new traditions for yourself will help make the season feel like it's happening on your terms and at your pace.
2. Clean Up Your Task List Like a Project Manager
Holiday burnout often comes from mental clutter and context switching so much just to feel like you're getting everything done.
Spend one intentional hour reviewing everything currently on your plate. Yes, everything.
Then ask:
Does this actually need to happen before Christmas time?
Is this urgent or just leftover from last month?
Is this a “must,” a “nice to have,” or “please move to next year”?
Move any nonessential tasks into January now. You’ll free up so much time you didn’t even realize you were giving away.
And while you’re at it:
Block off your calendar for the things that matter: Protect the dates you want for yourself, your husband’s family, your extended family members, your friends, or your faith traditions (even if that’s as simple as savoring your favorite book by the tree).
Add 1-hour buffers to any holiday events outside your home: Travel plans, traffic, parking, gift pickup — they all take longer during the busy time of year.Those buffers keep you from feeling rushed, frazzled, or behind. This is the best way to build enough time back into your season. You might event fit in some much needed alone time for yourself by implementing this tip.
3. Simplify Your Home & Make Space for the New
The holiday season brings in so many new items — gifts, toys, clothes, handmade items from the kids, holiday cards, advent calendar treats, and more.
A few easy ways to simplify your living space now:
Declutter for “future-you”: Toys, clothes, décor, random small items… a quick clear-out now makes December feel lighter. This is especially helpful if your holiday celebrations involve kids who receive a lot.
Handle your returns early: Don’t wait until you're in line with everyone else. Returning things now helps you avoid too much pressure later — and the refunded money can go toward meaningful gifts.
Organize your files (digital and physical): Your desktop, your downloads folder, your receipts, your holiday menus, your Christmas list, your holiday cards — all of it.Clarity now = calm later.
A simpler holiday starts with a simplified foundation.
4. Rethink Gifts: Focus on Feelings, Not the Number of Gifts
Whether you’re shopping for your spouse, your kids, your extended family members, or your husband’s family — this is the year to make gifting simpler. With the economy in the state that it's in and the fact that most of the retailers we love and adore are letting us down, it's the perfect time to switch up gifting.
Remember: People remember how you make them feel, not the things you do.
So instead of stressing about the perfect gift or the number of gifts, try this:
Choose ONE memorable gift and let it do the heavy lifting: Experience gifts, a trip, a favorite book with a handwritten note, gift cards tucked inside Christmas cards, or something that reflects their love language. Meaningful gifts don’t require much pressure or much time. Then…Buy the rest in bulk. Stocking stuffers, small treats, practical gifts, handmade items — this is a great way to keep things simple and still give thoughtfully.
Create a shared gift list with your people: Wish lists, group lists for a gift exchange, or a simple shared note can help everyone avoid duplicate items and unnecessary stress.
Say yes to fewer gifts: The magic of the holidays has never depended on how many boxes sit under the tree. So agree to exchange less and perhaps remove gifting altogether and spend quality time together. The world is your oyster, and you can decide what works best for your household.
5. Prep Your Marketing (So You Can Actually Enjoy December)
If you run a business, December can feel like two full-time jobs: your actual job and holiday hosting.
So give yourself the gift of breathing room.
Batch your content now: Repurpose last year’s posts. Repost the reels that did well. Turn your stories into feed posts.You don’t need new ideas — you need less pressure.
Record voice notes for content ideas on the go: This is the easiest way to create without sitting at your desk. Create a text thread with yourself and let em rip! Any ideas that pop into your head can be recording while you're in the car on a walk etc. Then when you need some inspo simply copy the transcript and get to creating. It's my favorite way to make content tbh!
Schedule what you can: Holiday greetings, client reminders, social media posts — automate the repetitive so you can focus on the meaningful.
Your social media presence should support you and your business that includes your mental health, not steal your joy during the entire month of December or worse get ignored for a month because you're at capacity.
6. Create Your Slow-Living Plan for December
Holiday stress comes from overcommitting — so choose simplicity now, while you still can. Here are a few of my favorite ways:
Create a holiday menu with fewer dishes or turn it into Potluck style
Choose a simple meal for nights when you’re tired.
Pick one new tradition instead of ten.
Build in unscheduled time so you can rest. No one needs to know that that block on your calendar is reserved for staring into the void.
Do a digital detox for one weekend. Take a break from social media, screens, and the highlight reels of everyone else's life. You'll actually start to cherish your own life when everything else is silenced.
Leave space for the things that matter most: a favorite movie, a craft activity with your people, or just calling your long-distance bestie.
Simple changes add up. They always do.
You Don’t Need to Keep Up With What Everyone Else Is Doing
Here’s the truth no one says out loud:
You don’t need to match the pace of the world around you — especially during the busiest time of year.
You’re allowed to build a simpler holiday. You’re allowed to say no to what drains you and yes to what restores you. You’re allowed to slow down — even when the world speeds up.
Because the most important thing this season isn’t the holiday cards you send, the number of gifts under your tree, or the perfectly timed holiday activities.
It’s you — how you feel, how you show up, how present and grounded you are with the people you love.
So give yourself permission to create a season that supports your mental health rather than empties it.
May your December give you space to breathe…and may you feel the magic of the holidays because you slowed down enough to notice it.
You deserve a holiday that feels good — not just one that looks good.
