How to Stay Happy During the Holidays

The holidays can be a wonderful time for laughter and good cheer, quality time with friends and family; and some delicious, festive food and cocktails. However, for some of us, it can also be extremely stressful. Between travel, social pressures and obligations, it can be hard to make time for yourself and not get caught up in the madness.

If you are the one hosting the parties and gathering all your loved ones, it can be even more difficult to stay jolly. Luckily, with a few simple shortcuts, you can make the holiday time less hectic and more enjoyable, so you can focus on building memories and making the most of your time with others. Here are a few tips that will help you savor every minute of the holiday season with ease.

Go to a Restaurant for Gatherings

While you may love hosting a dinner party or whipping up a meal after a long day at home, the joy you get from entertaining and cooking might be dulled when you need to feed quadruple the number of people you’re used to.

Holidays aren’t a time to be exclusive—there can be upwards of thirty people at a holiday party or dinner. Take some of the pressure off this year by booking a reservation or private event at a restaurant, where you can sit back and enjoy a specialty menu and cocktail program while mingling with the rest of the crowd.

Experiment With New Scenery

If you are used to spending the holidays at someone’s home or a local restaurant where you have practically memorized the menu, try switching things up this year and go to a restaurant you have not been to before. Not only is it fun to experiment with new ambiences, flavors, and menus, but it is also a great way to expand your horizons and get to know a new area. Who knows, if you live nearby, it could become your new favorite hotspot, too.

Drink and Be Merry

It is a time to rejoice with loved ones, so let a little bit of booze help you settle in to the holiday spirits! There are so many fun cocktails and specialty holiday drinks to try for the season, ones that feature flavored liquors, fall and winter spices, and decadent, sweet creations or dessert beverages that people look forward to every year. So, raise your glass and cheers to ending the year on a high note and delighting your senses with spirited treats.

Self Care

Squeezing time into your schedule for a day at the spa is unrealistic during this busy time, but you can still practice self-care in the following ways.

Hydrate! Dehydration increases stress and anxiety, which in turn dehydrates the body. Break the vicious cycle, put down the coffee, and drink some water.

You should also commit to quality sleep. Put your phone on silent and invest in some melatonin, as melatonin has been shown to increase drowsiness to help you fall asleep faster. Problem-solving becomes much easier with a rested mind, so you’ll feel at your best during your travels.

Lastly, it’s important to keep doing the activities that keep you sane, whether it’s a walk around the neighborhood, a chapter of a good book, a Real Housewives reunion show or yoga. Invite your visiting friends or family along with you if you don’t want to seem neglectful, but allow yourself your own time to decompress.

Don’t House Guests

Of course, if you have a child coming home for the holidays, you are not going to have them go elsewhere, but for other friends and family who are visiting for the season, politely ask them to stay in a hotel. The holidays can be stressful as is, and these few weeks can create an erratic schedule due to travel and social commitments.

It’s smart to have some downtime to yourself at night, without needing to attend to others. Plus, there is also only so much time you can spend with visitors until they begin to drive you crazy!

Interested in dining or spending your holiday at the Albert? Book a reservation.