In case you missed it, we’re in the midst of the holiday season—a time for hot cocoa, gifts, holiday movie nights, all your favorite carols, and major stress.

Every year I tell myself I’m going to plan ahead, complete my shopping early and just enjoy it. But between playing Santa, wrapping, parties, decorating, moving those silly elves around for their latest shenanigans, and—oh, I almost forgot—preparing for our biggest sale of the year, things become chaotic, fast. So much for downtime and relaxation.

All that being said, I have to admit that I do love a little hustle and bustle this time of year—but I also don’t want to feel stressed and exhausted by the time Christmas rolls around. It’s time to find some balance, friends. Join me in pursuing these three intentions for the holiday season so we can finally just enjoy it…

1. Scale Back

It’s easy to get caught up in buying all the latest and greatest toys for your kids—but I’ve been there, done that. Full transparency: They often bring temporary enjoyment before they’re left to collect dust three weeks after Christmas. This year, I’m scaling back and embracing more intentional gifts for everyone on my list.

Instead of millions of presents around the tree, we’ve decided to take the kids on a ski trip after the holidays. It gives us something to look forward to and surprises them with an experience, rather than stuff that will quickly lose their interest.

Scaling back doesn’t just apply to gift-giving, either. I’ve become much more intentional about decorations, party-going, and many other obligations the holiday normally brings. I’m happy to report that I haven’t regretted a single choice to live this holiday season with a “less is more” mentality.

2. Just Have Fun

Every time my kids head to a soccer practice or games, I always remind them to “just have fun” because I never want them to lose sight of why they’re playing sports in the first place. But the other day, after my son hopped out of the car for a very chilly outdoor practice, I thought to myself, when do I ever take this advice, especially around the holidays?

So much of life involves doing things we feel obligated to do instead of enjoying what we do. Truth be told, it’s simply not possible to enjoy everything we do, but I often find myself going through the motions and not appreciating much of anything at all!

It’s essential to step back from responsibilities, even as an adult, and choose to do some things you simply love—whether it’s reading a good book by the fire, skiing with the kids, or indulging in some holiday baking (and, yes, eating the cookies, too!). This holiday season, don’t forget that it’s okay to have fun.

3. Give Back

This one can be difficult, especially around the holidays when money seems tighter than ever before. However, the things my kids mention year after year aren’t the amazing gifts they receive, but the traditions we’ve set to give back.

Every year, my little ones pack a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. We all pile in the car for a trip to Target, and they fill their boxes with gifts and toys they think a child their age would enjoy. After that, we drop them off together, as a family! It used to be a huge pain when they were younger, because they just wanted to keep everything they chose for their boxes—but slowly, over time, they’ve learned the joy of giving. Now it’s the first thing they ask about as soon as November hits!

It doesn’t have to cost money to give back, either. You can always volunteer by packing holiday boxes for a local church, or helping out at a food pantry. Giving back always makes my holiday feel much more enjoyable and less driven by “stuff and stress.” I hope I’m teaching this to my children, as well!

What intentions are you setting for the holiday season this year? Leave a comment below!

P.S. Our team will be taking a month-long break for the holidays and plan to return to our newsletters & blogging the week of January 10th. We wish you and your families a very warm, relaxing, and enjoyable holiday season! From the bottom of our hearts, we can’t thank you enough for your support this year. We feel very blessed to have such a wonderful community cheering us on and helping this tiny business improve and grow. Cheers to 2022!