#OMHG November 1, 2012: Holiday Survival Strategies

For our first #OMHG chat of November we started off our theme by crowd sourcing Holiday Survival Strategies from our community. Click through to the lovely folks who joined us on Thursday to share their tips, experiences & questions:

Here are some of the highlights from our chat-as always this is just a small snippet of all the awesome we packed into our hour together.

Question 1: ohmyhandmade The holidays are supposed to be a time of sweetness & celebration not stress & chaos-which is more true for your holiday season? #omhg

• dreamfleur New to the #omhg party!:) I’ve learned the hard way to start preparing early for the holidays (like in July, guess I’m late!)
• tif_smith i’ve always made effort to avoid stress on the holidays, regardless of my family’s preferences some years.
• peppersprouts I try and keep the traditions alive but I always get sick the day after USPS shipping cutoff!
• wd_kimmy My holiday season last year was a mess and I want to do better this year
• KatMcBrideArt Huge family = huge chaos + customers don’t know when to place custom orders, so I’m going to educate educate educate this year.
• desundial Usually a lot of stress, but since I stopped trying to do 1000% handmade everything, it’s more relaxing
• gridjunky I’m definitely in the sweetness & celebration camp. I keep it mellow to keep my sanity.
• zoe_rooney This year I have no room for holiday stress, enough generalized stress. The holidays will be what they will
• ThreeBySea I think we get so wrapped up in the To Do lists, we forget WHY we’re doing any of it. And not just at the holidays.

Question #2: ohmyhandmade What are your deadlines for shipping + what are your major tips/tricks for holiday shipping? 

• MarisaEdghill Choosing cut-off dates every year is totally stressful – too late & orders won’t get there / too early = lost sales. Nauseating!
• peppersprouts I always leave at least 2-3 extra pieces out of inventory until the bitter end just in case something goes missing or gets damaged
• KatMcBrideArt I do custom portraits, last year I was shipping til Dec 22nd, last day for Fed Ex guaranteed by Christmas,was nuts!
• wd_kimmy I live in Canada so need to ship the 10th at the very lastest
• peppersprouts According to USPS: First class DEC 20 — Priority Dec 21 — Express Dec 22 (domestic mail)
• Lu_and_Ed My last day I guarantee arrival by Dec 24th is Dec 14th, but I ship right up until the 20th
• MarisaEdghill I set different dates for various continents / USA / Canada-wide / major cities in Ontario & Quebec / Local.

• ThreeBySea Wine. Spiked eggnog. Spiked mulled cider…. 😉
• ohmyhandmade I keep my sanity on a personal level by not buying into guilt or pressure to consume, the holidays are about making, feeding, loving
• HavokDesigns I keep my sanity by making sure I sneak in things I want to do here and there…little sweet pleasures make it all worthwhile
• mrsgryphon By reminding myself over (and over) that it isn’t how much you do, but that what you do is done with love and intention
• gridjunky I keep my sanity by planning ahead, and keeping goals realistic. Plus there’s always a good Cabernet to be had.
• tif_smith taking some time to slow down + spend time with family (instead of working on client projects) is what i look forward to.
• kyliewriteshere Also keeping your self-care structures in place, like sleep and exercise, even when you most want to ditch ’em.
• UnurthWonder I stay sane by taking forced happiness breaks. Ha! A roller skate, a dinner with friends, and bits of family time keep me going!
• cherryandviolet I didn’t stay sane at all last year, and it broke me. I’ll be going easier on myself this year.
• KatMcBrideArt I have a 3 year old, so this year is all about handmade experiences- salt dough ornaments, color pages printable gingerbread houses
• InkandDirt Stay sane by sitting at tree watching twinkle lights with my kids. Reminds me to see it from their perspective it’s the little things.
• GaiaCC I’m also happy to BUY handmade/artisan. Doing it ALL handmade myself is a crazy maker– for me anyways:)