As the holidays are upon us, we are already starting to think about the craziness that is coming our way. Stop right there! There is no reason to associate the holidays with stress. It’s the most wonderful time of the year! When thinking about planning for the holidays there are several mistakes we tend to make, and the best thing you can do is learn from them. So many individuals buy too many extra presents for loved ones, make their to-do lists too long, or put up as many decorations that they can find! We all handle our holidays differently, however, there are a few things that you can avoid that will make your holiday planning smooth sailing.

Mistakes to Avoid When Planning for the Holidays

Red & Green Everything

When we start feeling festive, we go right towards the flashy traditional red and green colors for everything. From decor, table settings, outfit choices, and so much more, those are the designated colors of Christmas. However, there can sometimes be an overload of these colors throughout the home and anywhere else. This year, think about bringing in different elements to add contrast to the space. White Christmas trees are a perfect element to mesh with the red and green, as well as, adding some brightness. Using more white will also help elongate your decor, instead of putting everything up and taking it down three weeks later, you can start putting things up in November and keep them up through January.

Power Overload

Decorating is such a memorable tradition that people look forward to every year. The problem is we sometimes go overboard. Putting up the Christmas tree, these singing/dancing Santa Clause figurines, lights on the outside of the house and inside, so many of these decor items need power. A common mistake is having all of these beautiful decorations running from the same power source. This year, be sure to use power strips and surge protectors to stop circuits from breaking and potential fires from starting. By making this little action, the rest of your time doesn’t have to be focused on an issue that could turn into something dangerous.

Careless Storage

As you are unpacking all of your Christmas decorations, do you ever find broken ornaments, or tangled beads and lights? To avoid this for next year, follow the many storage hacks to organize your decor to help prevent things from breaking or being tangled. Some things you can do now are starting to save egg cartons and a few water bottles. Placing egg cartons at the bottom of your Christmas decor totes are a way to store your ornaments in each compartment. This will stop ornaments from pressing up against each other and inevitably breaking! Also, plastic water bottles can be used to store beads to stop them from getting tangled. Whether an ornament has sentimental value, or you just really like it, we want to avoid them breaking at all costs

If you take a few extra minutes to avoid some mistakes for next Christmas, you will ultimately be less stressed from the added to-dos. There are inevitably a million things happening at once, and if you take effective actions towards stopping fires from starting and your favorite decor from breaking, the majority of your time can be spent on what you wish to achieve this year! Whether you look forward to sitting by the fire and watching Christmas movies or creating DIY Christmas crafts, your holidays will flourish!

Do you have any other mistakes to avoid when planning for the holidays?