How To Make Holiday Decorating Easier

Get Cozy & Decorate!

Last year during the holiday season, I imploded.  I burned out on so many levels and found myself bursting into tears quite a bit. I was depressed. It was the opposite of what the holiday season is all about. I overbooked myself. I put too much pressure on myself. It wasn’t pretty. I talked openly about this emotional spiral in this video. The thing is… we are already SO busy and when you add all these other things to your ‘To-Do’s” like shopping, decorating, cooking, baking, parties, etc. I think we all experience overwhelm on some level. Can you relate?? Once I recovered from my depression, I promised myself… never again. Never again will I get into that state of overwhelm and allow it to take over my holiday season. I recently did a post on how to stay joyful during the holiday season here that has more helpful tips. But in this post, I wanted to talk specifically about simplifying your holiday decorating. This is one of the many ways, you can have a more joyful and sane holiday season!

Tip #1 | All Hands on Deck!

Decorating the house can be part of your family’s holiday traditions. Have everyone in the family put on cozy, holiday-themed PJs, play your favorite holiday music (I love Frank Sinatra) and then get everyone involved. This also helps YOU. With all hands on deck, you can decorate more quickly. And, it’ll be a heck of a lot more fun too! Just remember that you shouldn’t get hung up on ornament placement or other small details. Let the kids do what they want (within reason). Empower and encourage them to make their own decorating decisions. For example, I wanted a flocked white tree in our new modern home… and I was outvoted. The kids and my husband wanted the same green tree we’ve had for years. I surrendered. It’s not worth the trouble.

Pajamas

I love this jammie set! This top and pants are from Jockey. They are SO soft and comfy! The festive plaid design on these pants is perfect for the season. They are part of the Fam Jams collection at Jockey so you can get matching pajamas for everyone. The top is also super cozy and warm. It has a button at the top so you can keep it closed or unbutton it as I did. It comes in red and teal.

Pajamas Shorts

Before I get to the rest of the holiday decorating tips, I wanted to share another festive pajama set for those of you who don’t like pajama pants or maybe you run hot. These cute shorts are also super cozy! The matching top is equally as comfy. This is the set I will sleep in the most since I run hot at night.

Shop more sleepwear from Jockey here.
More from Jockey here.

Tip #2 | Buy Pre-Lit…EVERYTHING

The second tip for making holiday decorating easier…buy pre-lit! Buy a pre-lit tree, garland, etc. Trust me…it’s way easier than trying to do it yourself! You could easily spend an hour just putting lights on a tree or garland. When it’s pre-lit, all you do is assemble and plug it in. You could, in theory, even skip ornaments if you are really overwhelmed. The tree and lights alone will make your home feel much more festive and warm.

If you’re buying pre-lit, that also means you are probably buying artificial trees, garland, and wreaths. This takes away the stress of having to clean up those pesky pine needles! Not to mention eliminating the fire danger. I had a real tree every year until I watched Chris burn one of our trees in the fire pit in our backyard (this was in Texas). That tree literally exploded! No exaggeration. The fire was SO high, we both feared our Oak trees would catch on fire. We both immediately agreed… NO MORE REAL TREES. It scared the crap out of us.

Tip #3 | Go Simple With Ornaments

This year, we’re keeping the ornaments chic and simple… which is so much easier! We’re only decorating with some large gold and silver ball ornaments, and a few small sparkly trees and snowflakes. They’ll cover more of the tree, take less time, and eliminate the stress of covering the tree with perfectly coordinated ornaments, tinsel, etc. I’m letting the kids place most of the ornaments on the tree. Again so they feel like a sense of pride and ownership. And, it saves me time!! All of the ornaments might be hanging low or too close together, but you know what… who cares??

Tip #4 | Don’t Overdo It!

The most important wisdom I can impart to you all (and myself, really) Don’t overdo it. You do NOT have to do everything. Heck, you can even outsource your decorating like I did last year. Prioritize the things that are really important and cut out the things that aren’t. No time for cards this year, either send a virtual card or don’t send cards at all. No time to shop, knock it all out over Thanksgiving break when there are the best deals. Make sure you buy everything already gift-wrapped for your kids and family. For the extended family and friends, ship it all directly to them…to save time.

Don’t forget the spirit of the season. Remind yourself, you are light, love and joy. On the days you feel anxious or an urge to impale someone, repeat your mantra… light, love, and joy. If that doesn’t work, try tapping. I learned about this easy, DIY, anti-anxiety treatment from my friend… therapist Leslie Baker.

Other Holiday Traditions

Another holiday tradition for us is to put the Durango/Silverton train around the tree. It’s an exact replica of the real deal that is very special to our family. The kids absolutely love it! Again, this is not the most aesthetically perfect set-up, and I certainly won’t win any decor awards, but I seriously don’t care! My kids are joyful and that is all that matters. What are you going to do this year to make sure you stay sane and the family stays joyful? Please share in the comments. Let’s all learn from each other!

Don’t forget to check out Jockey’s PJ’s. I also like their bras, underwear, and activewear! (I did a video on activewear basics from Jockey here. And a post on their cool reversible leggings) For the bra I wear nonstop, make sure to check out this post. And for the undergarment we all need but always forget, check out this post.

Shop more from Jockey here.

Huge thank you to Jockey for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Be sure to subscribe to my exclusive weekly newsletter to get some freebies!