Holiday Stressbusters

-Be realistic about what you can expect to accomplish at this stage in your life. If you’ve got three children under five, this may not be the best time to offer to host the office Christmas party or to welcome the entire clan for Christmas dinner. Don’t feel guilty for waving the proverbial white flag when it comes to holiday entertaining. You’re not bowing out of the entertainment circuit forever—you’re just taking a badly needed time out until you’ve got a little less on your plate.

-Keep the traditions that mean the most and scrap the rest. It’s hard to find the time to pick out a tree at the Christmas tree farm, make a gingerbread house from scratch, go Christmas carolling, and host a skating party for the neighborhood kids. Rather than trying to do it all, find out which family traditions mean the most to your kids and make them your priority. Then put the rest on hold.

-Don’t be afraid to cut corners on the things that don’t really matter to you or your kids. The last time I checked, there was no law on the books saying that Christmas cookies had to be made from scratch or that Christmas card envelopes had to be addressed by hand. Perhaps slice-and-bake cookies and peel-and-stick address labels could be the answers to your holiday prayers!

-Look for smart ways to simplify your holiday preparations. Rather than baking six different kinds of Christmas cookies, stick to one kind and then swap cookies with the neighbours. It’s a great way to cut down on the amount of time you spend in the kitchen and squeeze in a bit of socializing at the same time.

-Get the entire family in on the holiday preparations. Trying to handle all the shopping, wrapping, and baking single-handedly is a recipe for disaster. You’ll either drop some balls—like discovering at the eleventh hour that you’re out of gift wrap or scotch tape!—or burn yourself out. Bottom line? Rather than trying to sew up your nomination for Martyr of the Year, insist that other family members pitch in.

-Take time to stop and smell the poinsettias. Twenty years from now, it won’t matter whether or not the gingerbread house collapsed the moment you tried to put on the roof, or whether your three-year-old managed to spill cranberry sauce on Grandma’s livingroom rug. (Okay, so Grandma may remember that last bit!) What you’ll remember years from now is the look of wonder on your three-year-old’s face as he watches the Christmas tree flash on and off—or the excitement in your ten year old’s voice as she explains to anyone who will listen why this was the very best Christmas ever. Accept these moments for what they are: the ultimate gift to you and your family.

Happy holidays!