Here come the holidays! Since it can be the most wonderful and busy time of the year, here are some ways to get organized and reduce stress.  The key is to get the family involved and keep things fun.  Then you can relax and enjoy!

Talk About Your Goals

First, hold a brainstorming session with the entire family and discuss what work needs to be done to prepare for the holidays.  Also ask them what fun events they want to include.  One person can take notes for the entire group, or each person can write ideas on paper or sticky notes.  Examples could be to put up outdoor holiday decorations, determine holiday menus, write holiday cards, make cookies, clean the house, cook, wrap and ship presents, etc.  Make it a fun competition and see which person can come up with the most ideas. 

After the brainstorming session, review the list and break down each task into manageable pieces. For example, holiday dinner could be broken down into the following steps: write shopping list, grocery shop, cook main dish, cook sides, cook dessert, set the table and clean the kitchen. Older children can help think of these steps. 

Decide Who Will Do What

Next, get back together as a group to review the master task list and decide who is going to do what.  Ask if there are certain tasks that people would like to do.  For larger tasks like cooking dinner, decide what jobs will be shared.  Make notes of which person signed up for which job.

One way to lighten things up is to turn some jobs into fun activities for the whole family.  For example, you could have a decorating or housecleaning party with music and snacks or make cookies together and deliver them to the neighbors. 

Track Your Progress

Keep track of the work on a master list that has each task and the person responsible.  The master list could be a sheet of paper, chalkboard, or whiteboard.  Post this list in an area where everyone can see it and ask them to add status updates as things get done.  Over meals, review your progress on holiday planning.  Discuss what is going well, what people need help with, and what everyone will do next.

Celebrate when smaller tasks are completed to motivate everyone to keep working toward the main goal.  For example, you could tape a piece of holiday candy next to each task as a reward for completing it or have a dance party when a big job is done.

These ideas will help you enjoy a more peaceful holiday season in which family members understand the work involved, communication improves, the kids feel empowered, the parents are less stressed, and the family succeeds as a team.   Happy Holidays!

Hilary Kinney is the author of Project Management for Parents, a timeless book that provides resources for busy parents to streamline life at home. She is a certified Professional Project Manager with 17 years of experience at a Fortune 500 company.