De-Stress Your Holiday Season

The holidays may be the most wonderful time of the year, but sometimes, the holidays can also be the most stressful time of the year. With decorating, shopping, events, budgeting, it’s a wonder we don’t lose it! So, we have a few quick tips so you can spend more time singing “deck the halls” instead of muttering “bah humbug!” 

BUY EARLY 

Get your holiday shopping done early. Many retailers are doing pre-holiday sales to get ahead of Black Friday with similar saving options, so take advantage while you can before everything you want to get goes out of stock (check out our gift guide: it shows our top 15 most-wished for kids’ items that go out of stock the quickest!). We have a bunch planned as well, so keep your eyes peeled! 

In that same vein, we also offer “Shop Now, Pay Later”, so if you can’t afford something immediately or want to spread the spending across multiple weeks to keep budgeting easier, you can still lessen the stress by buying early and taking advantage of our pre-holiday sales. Learn More. 

DON’T WAIT UNTIL CHRISTMAS EVE TO ASSEMBLE TOYS & OTHER LARGE GIFTS 

We love creating holiday magic, and while the appeal of your little one waking up to a brand-new play kitchen that seemed to appear out of thin air (it was definitely Santa) is hard to deny, you’re going to spend Christmas Day even more exhausted and less present for your family and friends if you spend the night before doing your best to quietly assemble a large piece of furniture. Don’t have the space to hide a play kitchen between now and Christmas Eve? Make sure you get familiar with our 3D assembly guide beforehand so you can walk through it in your head a few times-- when actual setup time comes, it’s a piece of cake! Simply scan the QR code on the packaging and it’ll bring you straight to the guide!   

Remember, the holiday season is for everyone to enjoy, and that includes you! Make sure you and your family create memories of joyful times together instead of being cranky from a sleepless night. 

This doesn’t just go for products you buy from us! Anything that needs assembly should be put together early to make sure that there are no missing parts and that it’s in perfect working order when gift-opening time happens. One of our teammates bought their dad a lovely grill set for the holidays, but while assembling it the night before, discovered that the actual grill grate was missing from the box. They had to postpone giving the gift until they could sort everything out (and they tell us this story every November, so now you’re going to hear it too). 

GIFTS FOR ADULTS: KEEP IT SIMPLE 

Do you have a billion grown-ups to buy for as well as kids? For friends and family that you aren’t as close with but still want to get a gift, get them all something simple and useful. One popular gift idea is wireless Bluetooth keychains that allow your phone to “call” your keys if they get lost. You can get multiple packs of them in multiple colors for under $100, so you can give everyone something they’ll actually get use out of without breaking the bank! 

GIFT EXCHANGES 

Another way to keep it simple for larger groups of people? Arrange a Secret Santa gift exchange for the adults! Secret Santa is a great way to add a spark of that holiday magic we sometimes forget about as we grow older, it allows you to put extra thought into one special gift for someone, and everyone gets something nice! It’s especially good for those of us who are keeping a tight budget this year. Elfster is a great website to coordinate gift exchanges and consistently improves each year, making it a stress-free process. 

Do you have any holiday hacks? Let us know using the hashtag #designhappy and tagging us @teamson and @teamsongroup!