Ways to Ease Holiday Stress

Wendy Wedum, Pondera County Extension

Stressed is Desserts spelled Backwards…

It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is December 1^st.  With that comes the extra holiday hustle and bustle.  It’s amazing what people can pack into the 31 days of December. Whatever your plans may include it always seems like a little extra stress creeps in. Here are a few tips to hopefully ease   a burden or two this month.

Get some sunshine by taking a walk. Research    shows getting out in nature has many benefits. The fresh air, movement and the vitamin D our body makes on a sunny day will help improve your mood, burn calories and lower built up stress.

Scale back by doing less and enjoying more. Our family does potlucks and that spreads out the cooking responsibilities, so the host has a chance to relax, too. It works well and there’s always plenty of delicious food. If you’re going to do a potluck, remember to make a couple extra phone calls and talk about the menu. In my family we seem to feel there won’t be enough food and everyone usually brings an extra dish of food for “just in case.” A couple years ago bringing the extra dish resulted in having 12 people and 12 pies. Believe me, the pie lovers in the family rejoiced at the 12 pie windfall.

We spend a lot of time trying to please others. Big parties, big meals, Christmas cards, shopping, decorating and so on. Trying to do it all can be stressful.  Give yourself permission to say “NO” when you are overwhelmed. It might be the most efficient time saving tool you have. Saying No will help you to focus on your priorities and protect your own holiday plans. Because when you say yes to something you did not have planned, what are you willing to give up in order to make the new plan happen?

Check out this link for even more tips!

https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20306655,00.html

Holiday Baking Class

Want to add healthy recipe ideas to your holiday baking? Come to a class on Holiday Baking on Thursday, December 6^th from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Pondera Senior Center in Conrad (311 S. Virginia Street).  Learn tips and tricks to nutritious food substitutions, easy to prepare dishes and ways to keep foods safe.

Common Sense Christmas shopping

Kari Lewis

After Thanksgiving tomorrow, Christmas shopping will be in full swing.  According to ABC   Surveys by the Harris Poll indicate that 28% of shoppers are entering this holiday season still paying off debt from last year!  If you have debt lingering around from the 2017 Christmas season, get that debt knocked out before shopping this year!  Today, I’ll share a few tips for avoiding debt this Christmas season and keeping that shopping budget in check. 

News, consumer counseling agencies see a 25% increase in the number of people seeking help in January and February, predominately from people struggling with Christmas debt.

First, make a list of who you will be buying gifts for and then come up with a few ideas that might fit their interests.  I would encourage you to ‘Like’ the Facebook pages of our local businesses as they often highlight sales and upcoming promotions that they have on items that might be on your list.  It is our local businesses who are supporting our communities, let’s make sure to shop there first!

Nearly one third of shoppers have Christmas debt from last year
lingering.  Make 2018 different with common sense shopping!
Photo by Kaleb Lewis

Secondly, consider changing things up this year regarding gift giving.  Just because your family has always exchanged gifts, doesn’t mean you have to continue.  Some families choose to just do one gift for a whole family, just get gifts for the kids under 18, or even draw names so each person only has one person in the extended family to shop for.  By drawing names, people often end up with a nicer gift that is useful, and everyone ends up spending less than they would if you bought for everyone in the family. 

Another option may be to do something fun like a ‘White Elephant’ Gift exchange where each person brings one fun gift that is exchanged.   Within gift exchange groups, it is perfectly acceptable to choose a monetary limit on the value of the gifts.  So often when I mention these ideas to other people, I get a resounding, “I wish we would do that!’  Bring it up…. chances are you’re not the only one in your family who is ready for a change!

Rather than buying a gift for everyone in a family, perhaps think of one gift for the whole family.  This might be a magazine or movie subscription, a game the whole family would enjoy, a professional photo session, or a membership to a local gym or bowling alley, for example.  For children, consider the ‘4 Gift Rule’ – buy your children something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.

In terms of sticking to the budget, leave the plastic at home and take cash when shopping.  If your Christmas budget is $200 and you take $200 in cash with you shopping, when it’s gone, it’s gone.  There are also emotional triggers that occur when you physically use cash that don’t occur when using plastic.  Those emotional triggers in the brain makes you think twice about spending.

If you are planning to shop with a friend or family member, ask them to hold you accountable to your budget.  If they are going to encourage you to buy more, that your kids need or would love that, that you deserve that ‘treat’ for yourself, they are not the right person to be shopping with!  Remember, you will thank yourself in January when you don’t have Christmas debts to pay.