The holiday season is beautifully full of festivities, but it can also inspire a remarkable amount of stress. Stress that’s worth remarking on, frankly, to coworkers and significant others as soon as early as Halloween.
Parties at work and parties with the relatives, gift-giving among family and games of White Elephant, glass casserole dishes loaded with mashed sweet potatoes and forty-dollar frozen turkeys from Whole Foods. There’s an unfathomable amount of things just happening. So before you throw your hands up in the air, turn on Netflix, and order delivery for the third time this week, we wanted to talk a little about holiday-season stress. (But feel free to tune into any upcoming showing of 1995 semi-classic Home for the Holidays, a.k.a. the definitive Thanksgiving movie.)
Know your limits at home.
Whether it’s just you or your whole family, stop to consider how much you’re willing to take on over the holidays. This isn’t just about how many events you can get to. But what — and who — are you bringing into your home? If you get stressed just walking past the Christmas displays in Walgreens, maybe you should keep decorations simple this year. Declare your house a stress-free zone. Maybe it’s not so merry, but overdoing it on tinsel and string-lights will only remind you of all that hasn’t been done yet. Not to mention the huge hassle of removing those decorations and cleaning up a few weeks from now.
Take a break to budget.
While you can procrastinate some things, your budget is not among them. This can be a positive experience! Deciding how much you’re going to spend over the holidays and how much on whom can give you peace of mind. If you set similar gift-budget limits for all your friends on family — and weeding out a few people who maybe don’t need a gift from you this year — you have less to worry about in the long run. Maybe you budget extra, just as “wiggle room.” For a gift for yourself, or for something fun. Maybe you take a trip to the movies on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day, just to get out of the party atmosphere or to give yourself a break. Lots of people do it. There’s no shame! Plus, you’ve budgeted for this expenditure.
Don’t overdo it next year, either.
For most people, the primary stressor around the holidays really comes down to spending. But you’re already budgeting for the season, so what about the rest of the year? Whether it’s been a bout with bed bugs or a big fix on your car, expenses come up. So when it comes to your home — where you spend most of your time, and your declared Stress-Free Zone — you need to make smart decisions year-round, too. We’re proud to help homeowners and condo-owners make those smart decisions. Why spend thirty dollars per square foot of premium wide plank engineered hardwood, when you could pay a fraction of that? Investing in quality assets like flooring need not break your whole year’s budget. Turn your home into the haven it’s always meant to be. And it’ll save you money — and probably bring you greater returns on that investment — in the long run. Imagine how calm you’ll be next holiday season!
Give yourself the gift a low-key holiday season. Plan ahead with us at PurezaWood, and don’t let that stress of overpaying get to you.
In the first photo, what color is the flooring?