Can we all take a moment and reflect on how happy we are to see 2016 coming to an end? I mean, we need to just scrap that one from the books. As we close out the year, we are now getting to what we like to call the “Holiday Party Marathon.” In fact, for some of us, it started the week of Thanksgiving. This is the time of the year where we all are making up for the lack of cheer over the past 12 months and want to cram it all into the last five weeks of the year. That much excitement and cheer takes work, though. So we’ve compiled our favorite ways to help you stress less and enjoy the holidays more.
Get your schedule organized
While fun, navigating the season’s soirees can be stressful and downright exhausting. To make this easier, we recommend organizing your events with a home calendar and work calendar. Make sure that any event is put on both calendars so there is no overlapping or accepting something that doesn’t work out for the family. For those with kids to consider, getting a sitter lined up is essential to managing stress. Book your sitter early!
For the love of god, please RSVP!
If you receive a holiday party invite through your work, by a colleague or a client, remember to please RSVP. It is polite. Anyone that has ever thrown a holiday party knows the stress of unanswered RSVPs, and that looming cater’s count. If you can’t make it, be honest. Don’t say you can and not show. A lot of thought went into this event.
Dress the part
One of the more stressful parts of holiday party-attending is how to dress for your events. This is essential. No dress suggestions mentioned on the invite? Well look at that invite. Is it fancy? Where is the location? Is it at the office or at an event space? Is this at the CEO’s house? This can be tricky. Always defer to a senior colleague for suggestions on dressing up for any event. If you are representing your organization and are unsure, it is better to be overdressed than underdressed.
The after-work wizardry
Many of these holiday events begin right after working hours. So, what do you do? The most important thing you can do in this situation is prepare. For guys, it’s easy to keep a suit jacket on hand to throw over a dress shirt and nice jeans. Ladies can prepare by wearing a work version of their holiday outfit to the office. In this situation, black pants and/or dresses are great to work with.
If you work in a very professional work environment, you can easily transition a suit with a fun blouse, button-up dress shirt or sweater. Just swap it out before you leave. For the holidays, you can’t go wrong with a little shimmer or any metallic toned.
Speaking of metals, jewelry is always a quick fix. We recommend keeping extra jewelry – like earrings and a statement necklace – on hand for those events just seem to pop up. This is always a way to dress up your work attire on quick notice. Like jewelry, dress shoes are good to keep in the office or car. You never know when they’re needed.
Hair and makeup on fleek
Bronze is a go-to color for almost any skin tone. Try a sparkly bronze shadow to elevate your normal everyday work look. Or if you feel daring, a red lipstick shade is always an eye-catching way to finish your look. If you normally wear a ponytail to work, try wearing your hair down or half up. Adding some texture spray and throwing your hair into a loose bun or knot looks pretty clever, too. Just be sure to bring bobby pins and hair spray with you to work if you’re doing an after-hours get together. For short hair styles, wear a barrette with some gemstones or a great headband.
Be grateful
Once you arrive at your event, thank your host. If it is a more intimate event, a nice host or hostess gift is a good gesture. A bottle of wine, local baked good or even a bag of coffee is a great way to show appreciation. This is the season of cheer, and we all need to spread a little extra this year. Happy holidays!
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