Christmas is upon us! The gifts are all purchased, the cookies are baked. The menu for the biggest meal of the year is set and you’ve even got the firewood stacked and ready for a romantic Christmas Eve. The house? It won’t take too much longer to clean up. You’re feeling pretty proud of yourself. You think you’re all kinds of ready for whatever this holiday season throws at you and then you hear it. A sniffle. A cough? Oh hell no. Someone in this house thinks they are getting sick before Christmas? Not on my watch. This is how a true germphobe prepares for the unexpected on the Holidays.
Number 1: Stock up. When you are out doing your last minute shopping don’t forget to stock up on all the flu busting remedies you’ve ever heard of; Chicken noodle soup, Gatorade, cough drops, vitamin C, cough syrup, Gravol, Tylenol and gingerale. While you’re at it, throw in some extra Puffs Facial Tissues, Band-Aids, pocket size Purell and hand soap.
Number 2: Be an Enforcer. Back at home, be “that” Mom. I’m a tyrant when it comes to washing hands. It gets so much worse this time of year. Every kid that walks in and knows they must wash their hands…immediately.
Number 3: Clean all the things! Hear that sniffle more than once? Get out the Mr. Clean and the Lysol and clean all the things! Show no mercy; clean the light switches, the door knobs, the keyboards and the phones. Those germs are tricky and will try and hide on you, so be vigilant! When you leave the house, wipe down those grocery cart handles and when you get back in the car wipe down your own steering wheel. Do you have any idea how many germs are on the cash we carry? Shiver.
Number 5: Be preventative. It’s a time of over indulgence and a time of parties. It’s so easy to eat too much junk food and not get enough sleep. Do your very best sneak some healthy food into your diet, get some fresh air and exercise with the family by taking a walk in the winter air or tobogganing, and don’t forget to get some sleep.
Number 5: Let It Go: Holidays are stressful! Big groups of family and friends all crammed into one room. Big expectations, some are hard to live up to? The need to make it all …perfect. Remember that life is not a postcard and not every holiday has a happy Hollywood ending. Sometimes kids get the sniffles, occasionally the sweater you loved for that dear daughter is a miss, often.. Mom gets a headache. It’s okay. Although Christmas comes but once a year don’t strive for perfection, you will just make yourself crazed. Aim for smiles, be happy with the giggles, and enjoy the little moments as this Christmas, like all the ones past, will be gone far too quickly.
Happy Healthy Holidays!
Those are great tips to stay healthy this winter season as well!
Great post! I do also stock up and keep “emergency” items in my house for those just in case moments. The worst is when you are sick and have to go out in the cold to the store.
Had to take youngest to emerg yesterday, her tonsils were so swollen. She is going to need them out. Nervous heard it’s dangerous as an adult. She is 22.
Great tips, that is a perfect kit to help beat the illnesses of winter
Great tips 🙂
My daughter’s bf is spending New Year’s Day with us and he is starting to get a cold, so I’m jacking my daughter up so she doesn’t get it. Wipes, vitamins , mouth wash lol
Good tips. I’m all about stocking up…especially chicken for all the chicken soups we make
this is me I should by stock in lysol wipes Number 3: Clean all the things!
Well I already failed at #1, didn’t stock up on anything so I wasn’t exactly prepared when the illnesses came!… Both my kids were sick this Christmas which has never happened before. I had all these plans that were ruined but I did do #5 (Let It Go!), I changed the original plans to suit their circumstances & you know what? IT ALL WORKED OUT FINE. I didn’t stress & we still had a wonderful holiday!
For the first time in many years we have had a lot of colds happening this autumn!
I am so very careful yet I did catch a cold this year. I think mainly because I was out and about more. Normally I am home. I wipe down all carts, wash my hands but getting rid of the stress is another story.
Thank you for all the great advise!
There are lots of things we can do to avoid getting colds and flu, but sometimes they happen anyway. If that happens, I hope I can follow your advice to “Aim for smiles, be happy with the giggles, and enjoy the little moments.” Thanks.
I get my fly shot every year and hope that helps to keep me healthy too. There’s nothing worse than being ill at Christmas, the time of year that should be joyous and you’re feeling like death warmed up. Thanks for sharing your tips to stay healthy. 🙂
Hoping we all stay healthy this holiday season. Merry Christmas!
My daughter laughs because I carry Lysol wipes with me around the house, and when I open Er door I keep blowing out so the germs don’t get me.