Holidays can be stressful and exciting at the same time. For most of us, this means more family time, more traveling, more shopping, and spending. The Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Agents from Bell, Laurel, Rockcastle, and Whitley provided eight counties with strategies on how to deal with stress, incorporate more family time, and take care of yourself.

The Holiday Ideas program has been an annual program that covers Harlan, Bell, Clay, Knox, Rockcastle, Laurel, Whitley, Jackson counties. All FCS Agents contributed to make a handout on how to create your own decorations, gifts, and crafts for family time. Handouts were given to all counties on creating family traditions and taking care of yourself during stressful times. Each county delivered the program in person, with an option for joining online.

An evaluation was given to all participants, 100% said they learned how to incorporate more family time into their holidays. Because of this class, 81% said they felt less stressed about holiday gifts and decor. Over half of those evaluated said they would save $20-$50 on their holiday budget by using the tips covered and other saving strategies they already use. This program has been successful for all eight counties, and we plan to continue this program annually.