by Krymzen Hall

Created on: December 11, 2011   Last Updated: December 13, 2011

The best way to avoid holiday burnout is to start planning your holiday festivities weeks in advance.  A well-laid plan includes contingencies for the occasional hiccup and unexpected guest.  The most important thing to remember when starting this plan is to stay within your budget.  Don’t get sucked into all of the bells and whistles (pardon the pun) that make you live above your means.   The only thing worse than burnout is being broke while your burnt out.

Shopping is the activity that makes people expel the most energy.  But if you stay reasonable, and set a spending limit, you won't get headaches from the exhaustion of thinking about how you're going to afford a particular gift.  Set a priority.  Children are usually first.  Parents know far enough in advance what they want.  Don’t make the mistake of waiting until Black Friday to buy all the gifts.  If you do, you’ll be burnt out by the time you return to work on Monday.  Unless there is a big-ticket item that you need a huge discount in order to buy, don’t wait.  If you must wait until Black Friday to buy everything, this is a clear indicator that you have planned way over your budget.  You want all of your gift shopping done before stores start to get packed, which is always the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Buy a couple extra gift cards and put them on standby for the guests who “drop” in.  If they don’t, well, use the gift cards for yourself after the holidays.  Things are cheaper then anyway.

When you must go to the store, go in the middle of the night, especially when buying food.  You can even shop online and have the food delivered to you.  Save yourself the headache.  This way, you can spend the weekends baking and decorating, maybe even caroling.  You will be able to focus more on the activities of the holiday, not the technical aspects of the holiday. 

Gift shopping should be fun, but constantly hunting for a bargain can put a damper on it.  Start saving months in advance so you don’t have to drive to five stores to get the best discount on one item.  Pay cash too.  There is a psychological cloud that comes over people when they use plastic.  Sure, you try to block it out, but January looms.  It will wear you down if you buy something you know you can’t afford, and it will enhance burnout.  This does not mean exclude restraint with your cash.  Be smart, but not so frugal that you burn more gas getting a deal than you would buying the item at the first store.

Don’t overcrowd yourself either.  If your house is small, and guests are coming, there is nothing wrong with making other accommodations.  They will understand.  And you don’t have to do everything yourself.  Solicit help.  Kids can clean just as well as you.  If you’re hosting, delegate other responsibilities if you can’t get to everything.  Stop trying to be a people-pleaser or a superhero.

If you can, take a couple of days off work.  Eliminate some of the rush that comes from working and celebrating.  And, unless you absolutely have to, never go to a store during the holiday season after working all day.  This is the biggest drain known to man.

The two things you need to remember to avoid burnout during the holiday season are this:  plan way in advance and spend below your means.  Combining both of these concepts will allow you to enjoy the holiday season and keep you financially grounded as you plan the next one. 

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