Well Planned Day – Homeschool

Did you know that there is a Holiday Planner stashed between the November and December sections in your planner? While that’s a good spot for quick reference during the busy holiday season, you shouldn’t wait until then to actually start processing through your holiday planning. In fact, that should back up to sometime in October!

Most of us have no interest in thinking about the impending holidays in October. And, that’s understandable. We’re just not ready to worry about the chaos that inevitably sets in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We want a few peaceful weeks before we get to that point. 

Oddly enough, that’s actually the reason you should start considering the holiday season now instead of waiting. In October, several weeks before the chaos hits, it is much easier to clearly establish family plans, set boundaries, and create a structure that just might help temper the dreaded chaos, allow healthy boundaries to be set, and help you process through the whole season with a sense of peacefulness and focus.

Practical Tips

Here are some suggestions for getting a head start on planning – while maybe even maintaining some sanity in the process!

• Start by discussing family favorites. You might be surprised to discover what activities or traditions have had a meaningful impact on your children through the years. Spend some time talking over your family’s favorite aspects of the season so you can make sure to protect those preferences. 
• Discuss as a family any other things you’d like to see happen in the holiday season. Are there any changes that need to be made to your Thanksgiving celebration? Where would you like to wake up on Christmas morning? What are the non-negotiables for any of the holidays your family celebrates during this busy season? 
• With these basics in mind, where does school fit into the scenario? Are there any ways you can pare down the school days to help the season run more smoothly? 
• Make a plan for limiting activities. Perhaps you need to commit to two only activities a week, or maybe you need to block out an unscheduled day to allow your family to enjoy some togetherness, rest, and play time in the middle of other commitments. 
• Establish guidelines and parameters for gift-giving. Be clear about gifts outside the family, whether it be for friends, extended family, teachers, gift-exchange parties, or any other gift-giving situation that may arise. Then consider internal gift-giving. What might make gifts extra special or meaningful for your family this year? 

But, Is it Really Necessary?

Ultimately, it’s helpful to remember why planning is important in the first place. It’s not so much that planning allows everything to fall into place perfectly. Instead it’s that a plan gives us something solid to work with when things don’t actually go according to plan! 

There will always be something unexpected pop up during the holiday season. Far too many people around us wait until the last minute to throw this celebration or that activity together. When you don’t have a plan, you have no idea what your priorities are. As a result, you tend to jump on everything that comes your way, running yourself and your family ragged in the process. 

When you have a plan, though, you know what your priorities and goals are for the season. You already know your family’s preferences and desires. This gives you a framework that everything else can fit into. If an opportunity arises that fits into your framework, you know immediately that you can say yes! If something doesn’t fit, you have automatic validity for politely declining. 

Having a plan doesn’t solve the holiday chaos, but it definitely tames it, making the season much more enjoyable for you and your family. 

So, why not flip over and take a look right now? Call for a family planning session and get ahead of the holiday chaos this season!