No One Likes to Be Poor and Plump Come January

Do you know what happens to me over the Holiday Season? I end up just feeling inadequate. The house is not decorated quite enough. The girls’ costumes weren’t as elaborate as they could have been. I didn’t set the perfect Thanksgiving table or attack holiday shopping systematically so as to not over spend or cover everyone on our list. Oh, and how about getting that perfect family picture for your cards?

Stress Less Holiday

Ugh… Sometimes the Holidays just bum me out, make me fat and empty my checkbook. No one likes to be poor and plump come January.

I decided last week that this year would be different. I wouldn’t let my expectations of how everything should be ruin my enjoyment of how they are. My life is not a Pinterest picture and I don’t have staff to do my dirty work. It’s just my family and I. We have a bunch of parties, decorating and shopping piled on top of our regular duties.

I don’t want to feel stressed the whole time thinking what I am doing is not good enough or feeling so overwhelmed that I can’t even enjoy the magic that does happen during the coming weeks with my family and community.

Do the holidays stress you out? How do you deal with the financial side of things and the workload?

I think I want to start an online support group for us. Ways to share tips and tricks to save money, time or effort over the next three months so we can come out the other end happy and alive. This can be everything from flash sales you know about, diet tricks, decorating shortcuts or simply a place to vent or ask for advice. On Instagram and Facebook let’s use the hashtag #StressLessHoliday. You can post right to the Our Urban Playground Facebook Page or share your pictures on Instagram with the hashtag #StressLessHoliday.

For my first #StressLessHoliday, here is what I did last week after I decided to not go overboard on my expectations and just chill out a bit.

Our Urban Playground Stress Less Holiday

This is what my front entry was looking like. It had become a dumping ground, so I cleaned it, dusted and got things properly stored. I had bought a glittery owl at Ross Dress for Less for 7 bucks and a bag of mini pumpkins at Safeway. I collected some candles I had scattered around the house and put it all together.

stress less holiday

It’s not the most elaborate or beautiful set up and definitely not “Pinterest worthy”, but the girls loved it and honestly it wasn’t that much work putting it together.

stress less holiday

Stress Less Holiday

So will you guys do this with me? Let’s get through the Holidays without gaining 15 pounds, emptying our checking accounts or having overwhelmed freak-outs. Sound like a plan?

Cheers to a wonderful Holiday Season!

xo

Jen

P.S. You see, I don’t have a gorgeous San Francisco single-family home with a rad purple door and purple pumpkins. Does this make me feel bad or inadequate? No, it makes an epic Instagram shot.

Purple Perfection. #stresslessholiday

A photo posted by Jennifer Latch (@oururbanplay) on

Follow along on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Remember to share your posts with the hashtag #StressLessHoliday and feel free to post as much as you like on Our Urban Playground’s Facebook Page. 

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5 responses

  1. Well heck lady, I don’t even have a front entry way so you are like light years ahead of me! We haven’t even bought pumpkins yet. Although this weekend I am cutting out a cardboard guitar and spray painting it for my own costume. Because you know me, it ain’t a holiday or a party if I didn’t spray paint something!

    • You are the QUEEN of the spray can. I’m surprised you don’t secretly tag in the middle of the night. Is your porch area wide enough to put a little pumpkin set up out there?

  2. I have to say that this year is a little different. We just got done traveling for almost 6 months and it has forced me to come back without all those expectations because just being home is its own reward for all of us. My kids don’t really want for much so their lists are incredibly short and its me who usually wants to say “that can’t be all”. SO this year its all good enough! We are happy to be here and decorate a little each day. And since we haven’t had a lot of time to prep we are focusing on the things that make it special for us, family, friends, food and Muppet Christmas Carol. Even my teens say its not Christmas until they see this movie! :-)