Best December Ever! 8 Savvy Tips You Need Before the End of the Year
How is it already December! I have been lucky enough to spend several chunks of time jetting around Europe and the Middle East, and I guess that’s how time flew so fast. One of the best things about expat life is the ease and freedom of travel, but one of the worst is the time away from home this time of year.
The holiday season here is still jam-packed, but it’s just not quite the same as spending Christmas and Thanksgiving at home. However, since I’ve been away from the intensity of life in New York and the expectations and obligations of family, I have actually had time to really reflect on what I love and hate about this time of year, and what I want to get out of the new year on the horizon. Here are 8 things to do in December to stay centered, enjoy the holiday season, and get ready for the end of the year!
Best December Ever!
8 Savvy Tips You Need Before the End of the Year
Practice setting boundaries
This time of year, you can find yourself pulled in a hundred different directions, but put your foot down! Don’t want to host this year – just say no! Not in the mood for elaborate holiday decorating. Pass! Don’t have the budget to buy gifts for every friend, cousin, niece, nephew, and coworker? Too bad for them!
Decide what is most important to you this month and focus on that. It could be more time spent relaxing with family and friends, or just ensuring you have adequate time for solo self-care. You are the boss, and you can decide how you want your holiday season to look, instead of once again being dragged along by other people's expectations of you and decisions being made about what you should do.
2. Keep your portions in check
I personally will not be over-indulging this holiday season since I’ve got a big beach trip coming in January. However, you can still find a balance in between watching your weight and still enjoying your favorite holiday foods.
Want to know the easiest strategy for watching your calories this season? Just literally use your hands! Keep protein to the size of your palm or bigger if you are focused on adding muscle, carbs the size of your fist, and vegetables to around 2 fistfuls – preferably of raw, leafy greens. And if you want to go a little harder or are actively trying to lose weight, just double down on the protein and skip the carbs and starchy foods. Feel free to give yourself a break on Thanksgiving and Christmas of course, just try to eat mindfully the rest of the season.
3. Be a morning person
It feels nearly impossible to get anything done after work these days, largely because it’s pitch black by around 4pm every day! Try to push yourself to get up earlier and start knocking things your to do list. I have taken to getting up 30-45 minutes earlier to give myself time for miscellaneous things like tidying up, paying bills, business work and online holiday shopping. And since I am someone who works out 5 times a week, twice a week I get up even earlier to get some of those workouts out of the way. Keeping a productive morning schedule ensures I get certain things done before anything else can distract me, and leaves me feeling inspired to maintain a certain level of productivity throughout the day.
4. Treat yourself.
If you think I’m only buying Christmas presents for others – think again! I have been bookmarking thing I want for months, just counting down the days for those Black Friday sales. Save some room in your budget to treat yourself – you 100% deserve it!
5. Pick some habits – one to choose, one to lose!
I haven’t set New Year’s Resolutions in ages. What I do instead is consider the things I do (and don't do) most days. Then I pick one habit I want to really focus on making consistent, and one that I really need to stop doing. Then I put them into mindful practice and see what happens! In 2021 that habit was a daily core conditioning workout for at least 5 minutes. I kept up with that, but didn’t set one for 2022, so it’s time to play catch up.
6. Make a budget/tax prep
This is a chore but trust me you will thank me later! If you have anticipate having a particularly complicated return, check in with your tax professional before December 31st! Go over your tax situation and anything you may need to do before year’s end to lessen your burden. Depending on your situation you may or may not be able to do anything, but it’s worth at least being informed and having all your documents in order.
Granted, this may not be anyone’s picture of holiday fun, but you’ll be happy to have this part out of the way!
7. Plan a Vacation
You guys know I don’t need any reason to start booking flights! But lately I have taken to adding vacation deals to cart around Black Friday! Yes, airlines, hotels and travel booking platforms all offer a host of deals and steals around Black Friday and Christmas, so take advantage of those discounts. A lot of platforms also offer flexible cancellation policies and no pre-payment so you can plan a dream trip without being on the hook to pay for weeks.
Plus booking early helps you save a lot and have your pick of the best places to stay, so do some early planning for your summer 2023 trips!
8. Reflect on last year's resolutions
If you are someone that makes resolutions, take some time to reflect on how you did with your goals for 2022. It’s hard to accurately weigh your progress considering all the external factors that may have thrown you off, but give it some thought and see where you could have improved. While not everything is in your control, some stuff actually is! Take charge of what you can control, improve and learn from.
If you fell short of your goals, don’t worry – you still have time to take some baby steps toward improvement. And if you aced every goal you set out to accomplish, go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back!
How are you feeling about the last few weeks of 2022? What are you looking forward to most this holiday season?
