32 Ten Easy Ways to Create Holiday Ease

Ten Fresh Ways to Create Ease This Holiday Season | Joyfully Unstoppable Podcast

The holidays don’t need to feel like a marathon.

In this episode of the Joyfully Unstoppable podcast, leadership coach and Women Lead Well founder Becky Hamm shares ten fresh, unexpected ways to create ease during the holiday season and carry that same sense of ease into the new year.

This conversation is for capable, driven women who already do a lot and want the holidays to feel lighter, more enjoyable, and far less complicated. Instead of the usual advice about doing more or managing time better, Becky offers playful, practical strategies that reduce decision fatigue, protect energy, and make space for real enjoyment.

You’ll learn how to set “good enough” standards, create a skip list, simplify hosting, automate what drains you, and design the season around what actually works for you. These ideas are designed to help you finish the year strong while setting the tone for a more easeful, joyful 2026.

If you’re ready to enjoy the holidays without overcommitting or overthinking, this episode is for you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to create ease without giving up what matters
• Smart shortcuts that reduce holiday stress and decision fatigue
• Ways to simplify social plans, hosting, and daily logistics
• How to carry an ease-first mindset into the new year

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If this episode resonated, share it with a friend who could use a little more ease this season. And don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave a review. It helps more women find the show.

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Transcript

0:46

Welcome to Joyfully Unstoppable, the podcast for women who are ready to lead boldly, live lightly, and reclaim their joy. Whether you're leading a team, a classroom, a boardroom, or your own big, beautiful life, I am so glad you found us. I'm your host, Becky Hamm, leadership coach, speaker and founder of Women Lead Well. After years of high level leadership, I discovered that success doesn't have to come at the cost of your peace, your values, or your wellbeing. Each week, we'll explore what it means to lead joyfully, sustainably, and authentically. Even in a world that tells you to hustle harder and prove your worth, you carry a lot. Let's help it feel lighter. Friends, today we are gonna talk about ease, real ease. The kind that lets you enjoy the holidays without turning December into a marathon. We are already into the holiday season, so these are some opportunities for you to finish the year strong as we round out 2025, and frankly, to set the stage for a more easeful 2026, because I know you already carry a lot, you lead, you support, you organize, you deliver. You deserve a season, you deserve a life that feels lighter and a whole lot more enjoyable. So, you know, I, I have my usual reminders about prioritizing and blocking time on the calendar and setting your intentions Today. I thought I would do something a little bit different, and I've come up with a fresh list of 10. Unexpected ways to create ease during the holidays. So let's get into it. Tip number one, pick your good enough standard for the month. Because look, perfection. I love perfection too. I'm not knocking perfection. But however, perfection takes time and energy you probably don't wanna be spending right now. So just make your decision about what good enough looks like when it comes to gifts, when it comes to events, when it comes to meals, when it comes to home prep, setting that clear standard. Eliminates the pressure and it makes your choices easier, right? You've kind of pre-decided the standard you're gonna hold yourself to. When you define good enough, you create space for joy instead of labor. Again, this episode drops on Christmas Eve, so the ship is kind of sailed for Christmas if you celebrate Christmas. But think about what your good enough standard is gonna be to launch 2026. What do you want your new year to look like? It doesn't have to be perfect to be amazing. Number two, and this is one of my personal favorites, is to create your skip list. Everyone's got a to-do list. If you like me, your to-do list is probably pretty significant, so let's do something better. Let's create a skip list. Choose three things that you are officially skipping this holiday season. Maybe that's baking from scratch. Maybe it's attending every optional gathering. Maybe it's decorating every corner of your house. Maybe it's having that same conversation with Uncle Saul about whatever topic it is that you wanna talk about every single time you see each other. That doesn't go anywhere and it's never going to right. Build your skip list and again, as you move into 2026, what are you gonna skip next year to this builds agency? It gives you control, it gives you autonomy, it immediately lightens your load'cause you're just not available for some things anymore. And pick the things that are gonna bring you joy. Skip the things that skipping will bring you joy. Number three, and again, I love this one too, not just for the holiday seasons, but pick one signature move for when you're hosting. There's a lot of hosting right now through December. It tapers off into January. But if you have to reinvent the wheel every single time you have people over, or every single time you go as a guest to somebody's house. It takes a lot of brain power. It takes a lot of time and a lot of energy. So pick that one signature dish that you always bring. Have that playlist. That you, that is always gonna be there. When people come over a signature cocktail, the one drink that feels festive, that's pretty easy that you can create ahead of time, right? And have a, a jug of it or a picture of it, as opposed to you creating the cocktails individually, one by one, those signature moves that eliminates your decision fatigue. It also becomes something that people associate with you in the best way possible. You become known for it. So again, as you pick the signature move, I strongly encourage, pick something that's easy. Don't pick something that's overly complicated. Pick something that you can replicate over and over again, not just this year, but in the years to come. Tip number four. I love all of these. This one might be my favorite too. Decide what you will automate or outsource. We're talking about having a more easeful holiday and a more easeful 2026. Well, our ease grows when those small tasks run quietly in the background when things happen that we don't have to make happen. So think about what you can automate. Think about what you can outsource this month. Maybe that's grocery delivery. Maybe that's gift shopping. Maybe that's a cleaning service before your guests arrive. Maybe it's automatic bill payment. I don't know. You figure out what are your friction points in your life and what could you automate? What could you outsource to make it just a little bit easier? You are not removing effort from your life when you do this. It's more easeful, right? Because you're redirecting your effort toward what matters more to you, if you are not an admin person, well, automating your bills could be phenomenal, and you're gonna take that time and attention that would've gone to bill paying, and you're gonna put it somewhere else that is more rewarding for you. The bills are still gonna get paid. Right, but you can put your energy to something that brings you greater joy. Number five. This is a challenge for me. Use a two text rule for your social coordination. And you guys know not just holiday plans, but anytime there is a group chat, it can turn into this incredible long message thread where nothing gets resolved and it just sucks the energy, the joy, the fun, right out of whatever the experience was gonna be. So try a two text rule. What does that mean? Well, that means that you've got two texts to coordinate something with the group. After that, you choose the simplest option, or you just opt out, right? You can say, is it this or is it this? I vote this, and they turn and turn and turn, and you don't have to interact with that, right? You can kind of mute it and then you come back later to see what's happened. It's a great way to set a boundary, it's a, a fantastic way to stop an energy leak that is so common and you can say, I'm available for this or this, and if this and that. If those aren't the choices, then you're out. You don't have to burn energy'cause you were gonna be out anyway, so why burn the energy? Fussing with it protects your time from conversations that spiral into these logistics nightmares, and it keeps your energy focused. On where you can get some traction, where you can actually make progress and what brings you more happiness. So again, holiday seasons, but I do that year round two. Tip number six, you can create an EASE kit. A kit for spontaneous plans Spontaneous invitations can be amazing. They can be so much fun. But they're less fun when they require a lot of work, right? So you can create just a little kit to have around for those on the spot plans. So you have got, uh, a go-to hostess gift for that last minute invitation that you get to someone's home. You can have a ready to wear outfit that just sits in your closet. So if somebody says, Hey, come over, we're gonna do cocktails, or Hey, come over, we're gonna have a card game, or, Hey, come over, we're gonna have appetizers. You can just put it on, walk out the door and feel great. Maybe this time of year you wanna have a few pre-wrapped stocking stuffers. Maybe you wanna have a couple of those just in your closet year round. Maybe not in holiday themed wrapping paper, but just more neutral wrapping paper. Just little gifts that you can take with you. I love doing that. You've got hostess gifts, but I also love bringing gifts for pets. So if someone's got a dog or a cat or something, so you can just have a couple of those sitting in your closet that you know you're gonna give away at some point. So you're not wasting the money, you're just pre-positioning them. So when the invitation comes, when the opportunity arises, you're ready. Today you, by making the purchase and wrapping, use a gift bag. I mean, come on. We don't have to be fussy. But today you is setting future you up for success and I love doing that. If there is ever a moment where today me can take care of future me, I am in. So yeah, pre-position those spontaneous events with your ease kit. Number seven, pick your holiday uniform. I mean, pick your uniform for every day too. Clothing decisions take mental bandwidth, and particularly if you are a woman who has some kind of emotional, um, negative emotional feeling tied to your body, making decisions about what to wear can really drag you down, that can be a significant energy leak and a significant emotional trigger. So if you've got a holiday uniform, if you've got your everyday uniform, your business casual uniform, your business business uniform. You are already before the moment comes to put the clothes on your body and leave the house, you're taking that negative emotion out because you have already identified clothes that look good on you, that you feel good in, and that you are ready to use at a moment's notice. So protect your mental bandwidth. By figuring out your holiday uniform, and maybe that's a cozy sweater and a pair of jeans that you love, that you know look good on you. Maybe it's a simple dress and some festive earrings. I love black slacks with some kind of a, a holiday inspired sweater or top. This keeps you looking polished. At the same time, it keeps your spirits up, because you're not rummaging through your closet at the last minute with the stress of feeling, I don't have time to do this. And you try something on and maybe you've gained a little weight, or maybe it fits a little funky, and then now you're going to the event, not feeling your best. No. Decide it, figure it out, and then just stick with it. And again. This is a tip for ease for the holidays, but this is a tip for ease going into your next year or two. For those of you who watch this podcast on YouTube, you probably have figured out by now that I routinely cycle through the same tops. Why? Because I love this kind of like sweater, cardigan, blazer kind, like that's just my vibe. And I have a set of colors that all go together. It's not a capsule wardrobe, but it's capsule esque. And so I can mix and match my tops and my bottoms, and I can just work through them. So I can pick clothes in the morning when I'm tired, trying to get the kids out of the house that I know I'm gonna enjoy wearing all day long. I take the decision fatigue out, and you can too. Tip number eight. We've talked about this before in the episode on boundaries, but practice your one sentence yes or no. RSVP should not feel like emotional labor. That's not why people are inviting you to spend time with them. So if it's a yes, then it's an easy yes. So I would love to, I'll see you then. If it's a no, then no. I'm so sorry. We can't make it one sentence. Use that same sentence every single time. Remember, no Jade, you're not justifying, you're not arguing, you're not defending, you're not explaining. You are kindly saying, yes, accepting the invitation or saying no. Declining the invitation. Just one sentence, same sentence every time. The person you were declining the invitation to is gonna feel. However they're gonna feel anyway no matter what you say. So don't burn your energy on it. Tip number nine, it can also be fun to take this one step further and have kind of your seasonal default answer, and so. Pick an answer that's gonna carry you through the whole holiday season. Pick an answer that's gonna carry you through Q1 of 2026. Something like, and you don't have to say this to anyone else, this is just you as you're making the decision, your default answer could be, oh, I'm gonna say yes, but only if this stays simple. I'm gonna say yes only if this is fun for me, I'm gonna say yes. Only if I feel like I've got the energy for it, right? That seasonal default gives you a quick playful filter, right? You are evaluating a choice on the basis of whether it's simple, whether it's easeful, whether it brings you joy, brings you delight, whatever it is for you. You pick that what the marker is. But then you just filter your decisions through it, and then you default to your yes answer or your no answer, and you just deliver the one sentence no. Or the one sentence yes, but it keeps ease. It keeps joy, it keeps delight. It keeps your satisfaction at the front of each decision. And now finally, tip number 10, pick your. Ease. champion for the season. Think of someone who is actually in your life, a person you actually know who naturally brings things back to simple, to relaxed, to fun. Maybe that's a partner. Maybe it's a friend, a coworker, but someone who always reminds you that things don't have to be hard. Keep that person close to you right now. Ease is contagious and choosing your surroundings is a power move That reticular activating system, the RAS right? Our brain is gonna go out and find things that we tell our brain we care about. You put yourself around people who are more easeful than you, who are more relaxed than you. Your RAS is gonna go look for more of that in other parts of your life. It's a multiplier. It's amazing. So. Here is the heart of it. Ease is not passive. Ease is clarity. Ease is a choice that we make. It is confidence as we execute the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, when you remove the unnecessary noise, the friction, the stuff that doesn't feel good to you, everything starts to feel richer. Lighter and a whole lot more enjoyable. And for as hard as you work and as successful as you are, you deserve to enjoy your life. So I gave you 10. Pick one or two ideas from this list and try them. You might be surprised at how quickly ease expands when you make it part of your strategy. Thank you for joining me today. You carry so much all year long. You deserve a season that feels good from the inside out, and please know that I'm cheering for you every step of the way. Now. I hope that you'll join me next week when we talk about carrying your confidence into the new year. You are amazing and you deserve to feel amazing. You deserve to know you are amazing. So we're gonna talk about how you own that amazingness every day of 2026. Now, if this episode spoke to you, I would love for you to share it with a friend who's running on empty. We need more women leading from alignment, not adrenaline. Please don't forget to like and subscribe, and if you could leave a review, I would deeply appreciate it. Building those reviews on Spotify, apple, and YouTube. It really does help a little podcast like mine get some traction and get shown to more women who could benefit from it. Also, you can always grab one of our free resources, like our Thought Catching journal prompts, the year in review, the Mental Load Reset. All of that is available on the Women Lead Well website, and I'll link'em in the show notes below. Remember, joyful, sustainable, and authentic leadership is possible and you deserve to enjoy every minute of it. Until next time, I'm Becky Hamm, and this is joyfully Unstoppable.