It’s 55 days until Christmas, what are your plans for the holidays? If you don’t have a plan for the holidays as yet, get on it as soon as possible! In my last post It’s 69 days until Christmas, I mentioned that the two important lessons I learned this year were to practice self-care and to prioritize the people who are important. What’s the best way to check those two boxes? Make holiday plans ahead of time AND spend time with loved ones of course! It is 55 days until Christmas so lets make that holiday plan today!
Are you traveling to visit with family or friends? If so then you do not have much time to finalize your plans! You need to decide on travel dates, buy your tickets and make other arrangements for while you are away. If you have pets you may want to give your pet-sitter an early heads-up about your plans. Checking Covid-19 requirements and scheduling your Covid-19 test is something you want to do as soon as possible. Things like notifying your bank of your travel is especially important if you plan to travel overseas. Imagine how difficult it would be if your bank froze your accounts because of suspicious activity while you are abroad!
Plan with holiday travel specials
Once you have your other arrangements squared away you will need to get airline tickets as soon as possible. One of the best things you can do is to scour the internet for travel specials and discount codes. Holiday promotions are intended to get customers to commit early and avoid the pitfalls that accompany late holiday travel. If you book now for travel prior to Christmas you can save yourself some of the hassle. This is the one time you want to ensure you pay the extra for trip insurance. If something happens, you want to be able to cancel your trip without losing your hard-earned money.
It is 55 days until Christmas but if you are planning for Thanksgiving then you have a lot less time! Thanksgiving is exactly 25 days away so ideally you should wrap up your travel plans TODAY. You can find flight deals on all carriers at this time of the year. Ensure you shop around and check them all out (even if you have a loyalty card for a particular airline). Your airline of choice may be offering a discount, but it may be less than what is being offered elsewhere. It is also a good idea to look for discount coupons before you click that check out button.
Plan to take advantage of hotel specials
Hotels are filling up fast so act quickly! This is especially important If your plan for the holidays includes bringing that special someone along. You may prefer the privacy of a hotel instead of a guest room in your family home. The same approach regarding loyalty points should be taken. Scout around for hotel deals even if you have a loyalty card. Be careful not to choose the first luxury hotel without ensuring it is exactly what you want. Remember to look for online discount codes on sites like RetailMeNot before you check out. Ensure you don’t miss out on available pre-Black Friday deals as well!
Are you and other family members traveling to the same destination for a grand family affair? Consider traveling together and take advantage of the group discount offered by airlines and hotels. It would be a shame to miss out on group discounts! Try to coordinate with family members as soon as possible. Since Thanksgiving is only 25 days away, it may be too late to change plans at this point. There are 55 days until Christmas so you may be able to change Christmas travel plans instead.
Its 55 days until Christmas, have you finalized your plans?
If you managed to finalize your holiday plans this week then you’re all set for a stress-free holiday! If you are not traveling then maybe you are hosting family and friends. Hosting also involves some planning beforehand. When it comes to holiday events, the food is always the most important consideration. You may want to get a head start on planning your holiday menus. Luckily you can find holiday recipes and other preparation ideas at Holiday Central on foodnetwork.com. Maybe you have recipes of old family favorites everyone loves but you haven’t made them in a while. It may be a good idea to try your hand at making them for practice. On the other hand, maybe you want to splurge and just have everything catered!
Practice holiday self-care by planning
Whatever you do, a huge part of practicing holiday self-care is planning! So go ahead, plan for the holidays and more importantly, plan to spend time with loved ones. The worst possible thing you can do for your mental well-being is wait until the last minute. The stress of trying to do anything at the last minute can be overwhelming! It is best to develop the habit of planning and avoid the unnecessary stress.
This holiday, spend some quality time with the people who matter most to you and enjoy every precious moment. Don’t put off spending time with your loved ones because of work or other commitments. Remember that time is something you can never get back once it is gone. It is important to remember that spending quality time with loved ones is of utmost importance.
