From Frantic to Zen

Welcome to Frantic to Zen: Get Out of Panic Mode and Enjoy the Holidays by Getting Organised Now!

Hi there, my name is Marina and I LOVE the holidays! It's a great time to stop working and slow down and really enjoy your family and friends. The problem I used to have was that I wanted everything to be so perfect for everyone that I made myself CRAZY trying to make it happen and ended up not enjoying it very much. In the last few years though, I found a different way to do it so that I have as much FUN as everyone around me and I want to share this strategy with you in this Frantic to Zen Masterclass.

Are you ready to stop panicking and to start having some FUN?

Then you are in the right place my friend. In this mini course, you will learn how easy it is to organise your holiday season in a way that leaves you feeling relaxed and ready for your special traditions.

Whether you are stuck with how to sort out the decorating and entertaining or struggling to figure out how to get everyone the right present and make it look great, you are not alone! In the following lessons, I will help you take the pain out of the holidays so that you can really enjoy yourself this year!

Together, we will go through all the holiday pitfalls step by step. We will get wonderful cards sent out to friends and family, we will take the guesswork of what presents to buy and will make sure that you don't forget anyone! We will also make sure that you get a delicious Christmas meal on the table without spending the whole day in the kitchen.

This year, we will do something different and take the pain out of making the holidays perfect for everyone else and instead, make them wonderful for YOU as well. It's definitely about friends and family, but it's also about enjoying the time you worked so hard to create. You can now stop worrying about getting everything done because I will give you a step by step list to take you through all the elements of a fantastic Christmas so that you can have FUN this holiday season!

In each lesson in the Downloads Section, you will find the slides that go with each lesson. At the end in the same section, you will also find a Christmas Timeline PDF, Christmas Resources PDF and a Checklist of Action Steps to make this process as easy as possible for you!

Are you ready to dive in? Click Next Lesson to get started with the cards...

Hello and welcome back! In this lesson we will cover everything you need to know about creating and sending cards.

A few key decisions first:

1. Will you do a photo on the cover? Personally, I think it's lovely and highly encourage you to do so.

2. Will you include a summary letter of the year? In my opinion, these tend to be a bit much and are unnecessary extra work. It's a personal preference though, so you decide what works best for you.

Next you will need to pick a photo. This does NOT have to be a Winter scene. Pick a photo that represents the family well, where you can see everyone's face and hopefully, shows you having fun. Big family occasions and holidays are often a good source.

The next step is to pick a design. Here are some of my favourite websites to use:

https://www.vistaprint.co.uk

https://www.optimalprint.co.uk/christmas

https://www.photobox.co.uk/a/cards/christmas/christmas-cards

Top tips:

1. Order cards with messages already written in so you don’t have to write individual notes.

2. Create a label formatted mailing list and update any changes. Print out labels.

The last step for this lesson is to stamp and post!

Bonus:

If you are hosting a seasonal party, try this amazing website to get some fun templates. I use it every year for my annual Christmas party:

Zazzle.co.uk

Great job! Now join me for the next lesson where we dive into presents...

Welcome back to lesson 2 where we tackle the presents! This area can often be a cause for a lot of stress and worry, but I have your back! Just follow this step by step approach and you will navigate the present dilemma like a boss!

Let's get started! We begin by doing a brain dump of everyone who needs a present from kids to teachers to Pilates instructors.

Once you have that list together, separate it into family and non-family. Let's focus on non-family first. We tackle this list by batching, that means getting a whole bunch of the same gift to distribute to the list. For the non-family people examples include:

• Christmas decorations

• Shower gels

• Personalised Mugs

• Coasters

• Home Decorations

• Candles

• Christmas themed decorations

For the family members, start by asking yourself what they really enjoy doing:

• Any hobbies?

• Golf – any sport

• Wine

• Crafting

• Gardening

• Music

• Do they like jewellery?

• If they travel a lot, great luggage solutions?

Experiences are a great idea too:

• Spa days

• Theatre

• Photo shoot

• Fancy car driving

• Sporting tickets

Embrace the internet! These are some great sites that I use to do my online shopping.

• Wickeduncletoys

• Amazon

• Etsy

• Silvereditions

• Boots

Allocate 2 hours to do some online shopping THIS week. While you’re at it, buy a few extra scented candles (on offer of course), for those last minute presents that catch you out!

Now that you have your presents sorted, you need to make them beautiful so it's time to look at wrapping paper, ribbons, bows and tags:

Every family member gets their own paper – it makes them feel special, plus less confusion and it looks good under the tree!

A lot of places do a deal of 3 for 2!

• WH Smith

• John Lewis

• Marks and Spencer

• School Sales

• Supermarkets

TOP TIP: Here’s a crazy idea – pay someone to wrap it for you! Ask a cleaner, nanny or a teen looking for extra money, put an ad up in the school. Just have them wrap the present and you can decorate it to personalise!

So that's presents done! Great job! Now let's keep going and sort out some fun holiday activities in the next lesson...

Welcome back! You are doing so well!

Now that you have cards and presents out of the way, you can start looking at planning in some fun activities. Who wants to sit in front of the TV for days? I know I don't. Instead, why not book some holiday themed activities? These are a great way to spend time with the family and to spread that Christmas cheer! But be sure to book early because everyone else is looking for something fun to do as well!

If you live in a big city like London here are some fun ideas:

• You can organise a walk (London Walks are £10 pp https://www.walks.com)

• Ice skating

• Christmas Lights Tours

• Outdoor Fairs and Parks

Also, for more ideas check out:

https://www.timeout.com/london

(or forward slash the city you live in)

Pour yourself a nice cup of tea, or coffee or hot chocolate or glass of wine and get stuck in to a bit of internet research. Spend an hour, book some stuff and make a plan for some holiday fun!

Next up is sorting out the tree! I'll see you in the next lesson...

Welcome back - it's starting to feel like the holidays are in full swing now! That means that it's time to decorate!

But first, I need to ask...what kind of tree do you prefer – real or fake? Personally, I have to say real all the way!

No matter your answer, you still have to plan! Where will you get it? There are many local places selling Christmas trees usually from the beginning of December, some are available even as early as November! You can start this week! You also want to think about where you will put it before you buy it so you get the right size.

If you’re in London, then have a look here:

https://www.timeout.com/london/shopping/where-to-buy-a-christmas-tree-in-london

Then there are the tree decorations. I often get them from the department stores. I usually find a wonderful selection very reasonably priced at John Lewis, but a quick google or trip to the shops will give you loads of options! I have a special tradition I do with my kids, that I think you will love involving giving them all a special bauble each year. To find out more about my Special Family Holiday Tradition, watch my Vlog here.

Allright, you're almost there now. Coming up next, we will find out how to make the holiday table a place of ease instead of a place of stress. I'll see you in the next lesson to find out how...

Welcome back! It's time to talk about food now and this is a really big one! Let's break this down into two parts; firstly we'll tackle the big day itself in steps 1 to 3 and secondly we will talk about entertaining in step 4.

Let’s break this down into 4 steps:

Step 1

The first thing you need to know is that you don't have to cook all the food yourself. Instead, try to see how you can share out the tasks.

Carefully consider how many people you will have over. This number will decide how much of everything you should get.

TOP TIP: Make a bit more in case someone joins last minute or if people are really hungry – but don’t go crazy! For example, if you have 6 people, make enough for 8.

Step 2

What is the main course? Turkey? Goose? Roast Beef? Ham? Pick one that is not going to take all day to cook. There is no shame in getting a Turkey Crown that takes half the time to cook and has delicious meat that everyone loves.

Step 3

Who’s going to help you? You must ask for help! Ask people to bring side dishes or desserts. Let them offer up their specialties and then see what’s missing.

Also, don’t forget that the supermarkets are dying to help you. Please take advantage of some of the pre-prepared side dishes. I love Marks and Spencer, but there are soooo many cheaper options that are totally delicious.

Step 4

What about the entertaining that happens on the days before and after the main event? For after, we have the leftovers. Please don’t throw away the leftovers! Plan for the days between Christmas and New Years to be a Cook Once – Eat Three Times fest!

A quick look on Google will give you so many leftover recipes for turkey from soups to stir-frys to salads. This works equally well for ham, beef and other proteins. Make sure to have quinoa, puy lentils, rice, pasta and eggs ready to go in your pantry to make something new out of something left over!

For before AND after, use the supermarkets! They have so many delicious selections of party food, small bites in sweet and savoury that are amazing for entertaining! You can get them 3 for 2 and put some in your freezer ready to go for when guests arrive!

TOP TIP: For some great ideas to start you off on how to make something new and wonderful out of leftovers, I have included my Cook Once - Eat Three Times Guide which you can download on the right. For more great ideas, click this link here.

Do you feel less stressed and more in control of your holidays now? I hope so!

Bonus Time:

This is an amazing little thing to do if you have young ones around! The way their faces light up when they see a letter from Santa with their name, their friends names and other personal stuff is just priceless! Here are two places that do it. Don't hesitate, it will take a few minutes so you can do it it today!

Personalised Santa letter to kids:

https://www.portablenorthpole.com or https://santaletterdirect.co.uk

Let's do a quick recap of everything we have learned now:

• Get photo cards made and sent out

• Make a master mailing list

• Make a list of people that need presents

• Batch present categories

• Allocate time to do the shopping

• Get paper, tags and other decorations

• Get help with the wrapping!

• Research and plan Christmas activities, but pace it!

• Choose and buy your tree

• Decorate house

• Plan out your food and ask for help!

So there you have it! I hope you can now enjoy the holidays rather than rushing around stressed out. In the downloads are of this lesson, you have a Christmas Timeline PDF, Christmas Resources PDF and a Checklist of Action Steps.No reason not to get started with making the holidays fun for YOU today!

Just before I go into the Q&A, I wanted to let you know how you could work with me further:

Next Steps

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Good luck with everything and Happy Holidays!

Committed to your success,

Marina x