7 Questions to Ask After a Holiday
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Now that Christmas is behind us, it’s important to take a few minutes to debrief. Take a few minutes to work through the following questions so that your future celebrations are even better. Trust me, your future self will thank you.

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As you’re dreaming and scheming for the New Year, take a few minutes to jot down what went right (or not) these last few weeks.
Seriously, write these things down now and refer to them next year when you get in the planning stages for the next holiday season. You can read my past holiday debriefs here and here.
If you don’t already have a Holiday Success Kit, consider crafting one now. At the very least, schedule an email of your notes to yourself to arrive sometime next October so that you can review this Thanksgiving and Christmas with the eyes of Future You.
What went well?
Did you enjoy good times with friends and family? You may not have taken enough pictures, but capture these moments now while they’re fresh in your mind.
Do a “brain dump” or simply list out all the things that went down in November and December. What gifts did you buy? Activities planned? Food prepared?
You think you’ll remember, but trust me, your Future Self will be happy to find these notes.
How did others respond?
What were the reactions of family and friends to the activities, meals, and experiences you shared?
Consider your take-aways in learning more about the people you love, what they love, and what brings them joy.
What am I proud of from these last few months?
While this answer might be the same as question #1, it might not, especially if hard things happened and you were called upon to keep your “ish” together. I sure did.
Make a record of your wins, in good circumstances as well as the hard ones.
What stressed me out? Are there things that I regret?
Along with the wins, there may be one (or ten!) little lessons that you learned along the way. You might have felt the press of family, activities, in-laws, and you may (or may not) have responded well.
Reflect on these so that you can plan better next year.
What will I do differently next time?
As you reflect, think through alternatives to what happened. What could you do differently next time when confronted with these stressors?
Can you set a plan to avoid or mitigate them? Can you come up with a better response and be ready with it for the next time?
What do I want to do next year? Did I think of a brilliant idea but it was too late to really see it through?
Scroll through your social media saves, scan your inbox, and rake through recent memory, were there any activities, recipes, or projects you saw this season but didn’t have time to execute?
Make notes of these things so that you can have a plan to make them happen sometime in the future.
Pro tip: in years past I’ve spent the 25th of every month thinking and planning about the holidays. It has been a game changer in many ways!
What recipes do I want to make again?
Did you enjoy some yummy things this season? Remember to make them again!
Create a Pinterest board, Instagram collection, an email file, or notebook of recipes that you enjoyed this year. Note their location so you can easily find them again.
Tuck them into your Holiday Success Kit or otherwise bookmark them along with notes about what you liked about each recipe and any adaptations you made to the original recipe.
These aren’t exhaustive in terms of reflection questions, but if you spend a few minutes now recording this season, you’ll be so much happier next season.
More Good Planning Ideas
What do you think?
I’d be honored if you chimed in the comments section. What do you think?
These questions are very helpful! I have found reviewing and writing down my thoughts post-holiday is key to improving my planning process and has really helped me make changes over time.
So glad to hear it!