Capturing the magic of the holiday season

But shouldn’t life, and the holidays, be about cherishing those simple moments? Shouldn’t it be about embodying that captivating season and bringing simple magic back into your adult life?

While the holidays may no longer be about writing letters to Santa, listening for the reindeer’s jingle bells, and catching elf footprints in the snow, the enchanting season actually becomes more powerful as an adult…if you let it. Here are 6 ways to capture the charmed spirit of the holiday season as an adult.

Continue traditions

Whether you’re single, married, or have kids of your own, take a trip down memory lane back to those special holiday times as a kid. Better yet, visit with your parents, watch old family videos, and look at photo albums to remember the traditions your family started or passed on. Continue those traditions in your own life or cultivate new ones – either way, holiday traditions have a way of bringing joy, laughs, and warmth to the season.

Learn to say no

Do you ever find that once November hits, you’re busy every weekend for two months solid? Filled with visits to Santa, Winter Wonderfests, office parties, friends and family cocktail parties, brunches, and more, sure all of these holiday engagements are fun, but if you’re feeling stretched too thin, it’s best to learn to say no. I can guarantee you won’t feel you’re missing out when you spend a night on the couch in your jammies, pine candle lit, having a movie marathon with your family or best friend.

Do your holiday traditions have you feeling stressed? You can even learn to say no to them, too! This is the first year I’m not sending out Christmas cards, and while I know my family will give me grief for it, I’m at a point where I am stretched too thin, and I’m okay admitting that. Between moving and getting settled in a new home while 8 months pregnant, teaching part-time, keeping up my freelance writing, blogging, and much more, I’m having a hard time managing it all. I’m learning to say no, can you?

Streamline your cleaning

Anyone who knows me knows I’m slightly clean obsessed. Whether it’s a family member dropping by for an impromptu visit or preparing the house for a party, I have learned to streamline my cleaning plan per room.

The main gathering rooms of my house, the kitchen, formal living room, and dining room, have tile or hardwood floors. Instead of having to sweep or vacuum and then mop, my cleaning time is cut in half with Bona Wet & Dry Cloths.

• I start by dusting with the dry cloths; the large surface area of the cloths make sweeping my whole first floor easy to do in minutes. *Bonus tip:* Use the dusting mop on walls and ceilings, an often neglected part of the cleaning process.
• Then I move onto the wet cleaning pads;I particularly love that its fast-drying solution also leaves no streaks or residue and that my daughter loves to help out – the mop may be twice her size, but she can easily maneuver it around while I work on tidying up elsewhere. *Bonus tip:* Have your little one help you clean – they will love pushing it around with ease.

I’m one of those people who cannot feel settled unless my home is clean; with Bona, I’m able to enjoy those simple holiday moments with my family and friends instead of turning into a Monica-esque cleaning monster.

I want to give YOU a chance to win $100 worth of Bona products or a $150 SpaFinder gift card to simplify your holiday cleaning so you can focus on the little things that matter. Enter here.

Give back

One of the best ways I can think to really capture that holiday magic as an adult is by finding ways to give back – whether by sponsoring a child in need through your church, volunteering your time (alone or with the family), or bringing your kids to read Christmas stories to an elderly home, what is more special than bringing joy to someone else’s season?

Downsize & budget

As an adult, when someone asks me what I want for a holiday or my birthday, it’s really difficult to answer because there’s really nothing I need. While I love buying presents for others (it’s one of my favorite parts of the season!), I’m also a newfound believer in trying to downsize and keep “stuff” to a minimum.

I suggest making a list of people you buy for and coming up with some thoughtful ideas – think quality and thoughtfulness, not quantity. Then, whether or not money is an object for you, set either an overall spending budget or a budget per person so you have clear parameters to stay within. When buying with purpose, intention, and a budget, you’ll eliminate stress and stay on-task.

Enjoy the little moments

So much of what dominates the holiday season is the commercial industry, but the holidays are about far more than spending money, stressing over making it to every engagement, and making your house, clothes, and Christmas cards perfect. No, the season is not about perfection and grand gestures, it’s about enjoying those special little moments – that’s how you will capture the magic as an adult.

It’s about your child seeing elf footprints in the snow.

It’s about watching an old movie snuggled up under blankies at your family’s home.

It’s about baking cookies and singing songs with your grandparents.

It’s about spreading joy to strangers, just because. 

It’s about learning patience with your dad as you wait for your $2 sparkle nail polish to dry.

How do you capture the magic of the holidays as an adult? What are the little moments you cherish during this season?

don’t forget to enter the giveaway here!

Giveaway Terms & Conditions:
The contest runs until December 20, 2016 at 11:59 PM PST. The winner will be notified directly by Facebook messenger on or before December 27, 2016. Entrants must be residents of the US and 18+ only. Winner will be randomly selected from entries via the Rafflecopter widget.