How to Handle Business + Holiday Chaos Without Losing It

Friend, let’s be real. The holiday season can feel like a second (third?) full-time job. You’re still running your business, still trying to keep clients happy, but now you’ve added gift shopping, school concerts, baking, family visits, and about twelve different “fun” obligations that somehow feel more stressful than joyful. It’s no wonder we find ourselves holding everything together with tape and coffee.

I’ll be honest, there have been years where I got this all wrong. One year I promised myself I could keep the business humming along at full speed while also pulling off a “perfect” Christmas. I said yes to every client project, yes to every holiday invite, yes to every tradition, and by the time Christmas Eve rolled around, I was exhausted, moody, and so burnt out that I barely enjoyed it. Looking back, I realised the people I was trying to impress or keep up with weren’t the ones that actually mattered. My kids didn’t care if I made six types of cookies or just bought some from another mom that actually loves baking. What they cared about was whether I had the energy to sit with them on the couch and watch the holiday movie. That year taught me a big lesson: just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should be.

Here’s what I’ve learned since then. 

The chaos doesn’t disappear, but how we move through it makes all the difference.

First, you have to decide what actually matters. Not everything that screams for your attention is important. Ask yourself: if I drop this, will it really matter in January? Most of the time the answer is no. What does matter is making sure your family feels loved and your current clients feel supported. That’s the bar, not perfection.

Second, plan ahead just enough. I’m not talking about building a colour-coded holiday spreadsheet (unless that’s your thing… Sarah). I mean scheduling your social media, setting up an out-of-office message, and getting a few repeating tasks off your plate early. Even simple things like meal-prepping freezer dinners in December can make space when you need it most. The more you batch or automate, the fewer spinning plates you’re juggling in real time.

Third, and this one was hard for me: protect your energy. That doesn’t mean retreating from everything. It means saying no without guilt. A few years back, I had to let our extended families know that we would be spending Christmas morning home, alone, just the four of us. It was a difficult conversation and maybe some feathers got a bit ruffled, but in OUR house, it’s been the perfect, calm Christmas morning we’ve always wanted. Last year, we spent all day just the four of us and it was exactly what we all wanted, and needed. Protecting your energy doesn’t mean being selfish, it means showing up with more patience and joy when and where it really counts.

And please hear me when I say this: ask for help. For the longest time I thought I had to carry it all. The business tasks, the family traditions, the cleaning, the planning, all of it. But when I finally asked for help — whether that was my kids taking on a few extra chores, groceries being delivered, buying holiday baking from home-business bakers, or handing off admin tasks to a VA — it was like unclenching a fist I didn’t know I was holding. We don’t get medals for doing everything the hard way.

Above all, I’ve learned to remind myself what the point of the holidays is. Not the cookies, not the perfectly decorated tree, not the inbox zero. It’s the laughter around the table, the little traditions that make your family yours, and the chance to rest and reset before a new year.

So if you’re staring at your to-do list and wondering how you’ll get through it, take a breath. You don’t have to do it all. You can choose. You can simplify. And you can step into January feeling a little more whole instead of completely wrung out.

Your business matters. Your family matters. But you, the one holding it all, matter most of all.

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