Holiday Anxiety

Do you start to feel anxious and unhappy when the holidays arrive?  Are you dreading all of the festivities because you know there’s a lot of planning and decorating? Do you start feeling depressed?

You are not the only one that is going through the agony of preparing for the holidays and with the economy the way it is right now, there’s a higher percentage of people trying to manage a happy holiday in very little money to budget with.

It’s still possible to have a wonderful holiday with a few changes in the way you think and plan for these special days.

If you are the one in the family that does the traveling for the holidays this might be the year to stay home and invite a few family members over or even some friends that may also be on a tight budget.  Make the holiday dinner a potluck where everybody brings a dish.  This means less work for you ahead of time and the people you invite will be sure to show up.

Talk with your friends and family that you usually purchase gifts for and either put everyone’s name in a “hat” and each one can draw a name.  That’s who they will purchase a gift for.  When it comes to purchasing for other relatives children try putting a price limit on the gift.

If you are used to having holiday parties at your house with you hosting,  try instead to make it a year for attending other parties or let your friends know that you will going out to a lounge and invite your friends to come along.  This way, you won’t be spending a lot of money buying the bottles of liquor and the snacks. 

Try not to buy new decorations this year.   Instead take joy in the ones you already have remembering that hanging them up every year is your tradition and if you have children these ornaments will be passed on for them to enjoy.  Every year my husband and I buy a new display for our “Christmas Town” decoration.  It has been 9 years of collecting so far.  We won’t purchase new decorations this year and I will use wrapping and bows I have unused from last year.  The only item we will purchase this year is another little house for the town.