Why This Christmas Was Less Stressful

This Christmas season was a lot less stressful for myself and my family members then ones in the past.  We had a lot of changes this year and so we handled this season a little differently.  The reasons why I thought it was a lot less stressful were:

1. We came up with a Christmas budget per person and stuck to it!
2. We saved money in advance using a Smarty Pig account!
3. I shopped in advance mostly before Thanksgiving!
4. For gifts I still needed I shopped online especially with Amazon which gave free shipping on everything due to my Amazon Mom account!
5. I used Amazon gift cards earned through EBATES and Coinstar!
6. I completed all of my grocery shopping earlier in the Christmas week so I would not have to deal with the crowds!
7. I pre-planned our Christmas meal and used items from our stockpile, like the cheap turkey I scored right before Thanksgiving!
8. We made a point to schedule Christmas dinner with family after 4 pm at our house to allow for nap time.
9. We used December 26th as a "down" day for us so the kids could enjoy their toys and we just relaxed!
10. We were together as a family and celebrated our Lord's birth, because that is what the season is all about!