Organized Living

ORGANIZE AND SIMPLIFY TO REDUCE HOLIDAY TRAVEL STRESS

As if the holidays aren’t stressful enough. Add travel to the mix, and it’s enough to make a Zen master turn Scrooge. Want to enjoy the holidays instead of just surviving them? You probably can’t make your obnoxious uncle disappear (not legally, anyway), but other workable stress busters are within your power. Success lies in organization and simplicity.

1. They probably have stores where you’re going. Unless you’re heading to an honest-to-goodness wilderness for the holidays, you can leave behind the jumbo pack of Huggies and economy-size box of wipes. Really. Cast a critical eye upon the volume of kid-related stuff you are lugging.  Do not be cajoled into packing six stuffed animals and a shelf worth of toys. Santa will provide. Bad enough that you will need to find room in your car or overhead compartment for all the loot you and your kids will get. If they’re young enough, they’ll be more interested in playing with the boxes, anyway.
   
   
2. Chuck the clothes. Not literally, of course. But do check the weather forecast of your destination—it’s actually fairly reliable now!--and pack accordingly. You aren’t moving there. You’re just visiting. Lay out everything on the bed before you pack it. Then eliminate half of it, and take extra money instead.
   
   
3. Pack healthy snacks for long trips.
   
   
4. Pack a small bag of surprise activities that you can dole out to your pint-size passengers, one at a time: puzzles, find-a-word games, magazines, coloring books, and the like. Don’t use them up in the first half hour. It’s a long way to Grandma’s. Tell the kids to look out the windows and count cows. Or clouds, if you’re flying.
   
   
5. Start planning in October. Make reservations, chart courses, create lists. Make several files: Gifts. Food. Packing. Medical. Travel Details. Pet Care/House Sitting. Miscellaneous To-Do. Keep them in a handy folder. It’s not obsessive. It’s your gift to yourself, and the calmer person that arrives at your family’s doorstep is your gift to your loved ones.