What if I told you that you could actually feel relaxed heading into the holiday season? Not stressed, not overwhelmed, not in survival mode—but genuinely at ease and excited?
When my friend Stacy Gooding mentioned she was “coasting into the holidays relaxed,” I nearly fell off my chair. In my world—and probably yours—the conversation around the holidays typically sounds more like “tuck and roll.” We go from Halloween straight through New Year’s in one exhausted blur, heads down, just trying to get through it all.
But Stacy’s approach is different. As a professional organizer and owner of Good Order Professional Organizing, she’s spent the last decade creating systems that allow her to actually enjoy the holiday season. And the best part? Her strategies are simple, practical, and don’t require perfection.
The Foundation: Order Is Not Perfection
Before we dive into strategies, let’s establish the most important principle: organizing and order in your life is not about perfection. As Stacy says, “Perfection is the highest form of self-abuse.”
We don’t live in museums. We’re looking for just enough order to help us feel a little more at ease. If you get that, it’s a win.
Rethinking Gift Shopping and Giving
Start Early and Get Clear
The first step to holiday ease is getting crystal clear on who you’re actually buying gifts for. This might mean having some honest (but kind) conversations with family members.
Try something like: “I just want you to know, we don’t expect anything from you. We’d really like to take that burden away. We don’t need anything—we just want time with you.”
Most people will be relieved. Remember, the people you don’t want to buy for probably don’t want to buy for you either.
The One-Hour Weekly Strategy
Starting in September, Stacy blocks one hour per week on her calendar for holiday shopping. This isn’t dedicated desk time with reading glasses on—it’s while watching TV, after the kids go to bed, or during any downtime.
She keeps a simple list in her iPhone Notes app with checkboxes for each person and what she’s buying them. Nothing fancy, just functional.
The Bag System That Changes Everything
Here’s a game-changer: Buy inexpensive reusable bags (those 99-cent ones from HomeGoods or TJ Maxx) for each gift recipient. Line them up in your basement or storage area.
When a gift arrives, it goes directly into that person’s bag. If you have time, wrap it before it goes in. If not, it still goes in the bag for later.
This means on December 24th, you’re not frantically wrapping for three hours after everyone leaves. You’re actually enjoying your evening.
The Mobile Wrapping Station
Create a three-tier rolling cart stocked with everything you need: wrapping paper, ribbons, name tags, tape, scissors, paper cutters, and gift bags. Keep it in a corner of your dining room from October through December.
When something needs wrapping, pull the cart over and wrap it. Ten minutes here, fifteen minutes there. No more tearing through the basement looking for supplies at midnight.
Pro tip: If your kids are old enough, turn wrapping into special one-on-one time. These become core memories and teach them valuable life skills about planning and preparation.
Stocking Stuffers Without the Stress
Stockings are the bane of many parents’ existence. Those little items take forever to buy and it’s easy to end up in CVS two days before Christmas wondering why you’re buying random trinkets.
Stacy’s solution? Buy stocking stuffers alongside regular gifts throughout the season. One gift, one stocking stuffer per week.
Also, consider buying bigger items that actually fill stockings: white Gap shirts, Bomba socks, new Under Armour for skiing. These are things kids need and want but forgot to ask for.
And here’s a brilliant touch: Include one experience in each stocking—whether it’s a family outing or a gift certificate for cooking classes. It becomes something they look forward to each year.
Hosting with Ease Instead of Stress
Prepare Your Space Intentionally
If you’re hosting, prepare your home to feel welcoming without running yourself ragged:
- Set the table early so you can enjoy its beauty throughout the week
- Clear out the front closet for guest jackets and boots
- Create designated zones: a snack station in the pantry, a fully outfitted coffee station
- Prepare guest rooms with personal touches (photos, clean robes, makeup wipes)
- Remove clutter from common areas so guests feel the space is theirs too
Delegate Without Guilt
You are not superwoman, and pretending to be one ruins everyone’s holiday—especially yours.
Ask guests to bring dishes. Order pies from your local bakery. Have family members handle the casseroles or salads. Be the director and coordinator, but don’t be the hero who does everything alone.
As Stacy points out, nobody remembers what specific dish they loved last year. They remember the vibe. They remember how you made them feel.
The Non-Negotiable: Put Yourself First
This is perhaps the most important strategy of all.
Every holiday morning—every morning, actually—Stacy takes 15 minutes for herself. She makes coffee, lets the dogs out, and sits in her chair looking at the ocean. Everyone in her house knows this is her time. Nobody talks to her, nobody bothers her.
Those 15 minutes set the tone for her entire day.
The thing we think we have absolutely no time for is the one thing we very much need: time for ourselves. If you don’t fill your cup even a little bit, the anger and resentment around everything you “have to do” builds until it’s exhausting.
Ask yourself: What’s one thing I can do for myself on holiday mornings? A Peloton ride? A walk around the block? Fifteen minutes with coffee before anyone else is up?
Make it non-negotiable.
What Are You Really Going For?
At the end of the day, the holiday season is about feeling—not about perfect execution of every detail.
What feeling are you striving for? Connection? Joy? Presence? Peace?
Let that be your guiding question: What is best for me? If a mom lets that be the driver, everything unfolds differently.
You set the tone for your home. Even the dogs pick up on it. So imagine sliding into December 1st with nothing but cheer and smiles because you’ve already taken care of the things that typically stress you out.
Your Holiday Audit
Treat this entire December as one big meditation. Notice what feels good and what doesn’t. Keep a list in your notes app:
- What worked well this year?
- What didn’t I enjoy?
- What can I delegate or eliminate next year?
This awareness is how we break patterns and create new, more nourishing traditions.
Permission to Let Things Go
Stacy shared that this year, she didn’t get her act together on photos for Christmas cards. So she’s skipping them. And nobody will care.
Sometimes you miss the mark. Sometimes you let things go. And the holiday is still wonderful.
You have permission to simplify, to say no, to choose imperfection, to put yourself first.
Because when you do, you actually get to enjoy the season. And isn’t that the whole point?
About Stacy Gooding
Stacy Gooding is the owner of Good Order Professional Organizing, serving the North Shore and Cape Ann areas of Massachusetts. After 25 years in wealth management, Stacy pivoted during the pandemic to follow her passion for helping people create order and ease in their homes and lives. She believes that organizing isn’t about perfection—it’s about creating just enough structure to help you feel more at ease and present in your daily life.
Connect with Stacy:
- Website: goodorderllc.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-gooding-b2b8465/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodorderllc
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodorderllc
- Services: Professional organizing for the North Shore and Cape Ann areas
Listen to the Full Episode
Want to hear the complete conversation with all of Stacy’s practical tips and insights? Listen to the full episode of School of Mom podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
Key Takeaways:
- Start holiday shopping in September with one hour per week
- Use a bag system for each gift recipient
- Create a mobile wrapping station
- Set the table and prepare spaces early
- Delegate without guilt
- Make your own well-being the non-negotiable priority
- Focus on feeling over perfection
Remember: If you do just one thing from this conversation, you’ve won. You’ve taken one less thing off your list to stress about. That’s progress, and that’s worth celebrating.
Here’s to a holiday season filled with ease, joy, and presence—not perfection.
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