5 Tips for Stress-Free Winter Holidays

A five-year-old of our acquaintance once offered this gem of advice to his harried mother during the pre-holiday season: “Why don’t you just sit down and delax for a while.”

That sums up our first tip for having a stress-free holiday. Here are a few more:

• Pick up the phone right now, and schedule yourself for a therapeutic neck and shoulder massage a couple of days before a major holiday gathering. Just knowing that you’ve set aside some “me time” for yourself will give you something personal and pleasant to look forward to at this hectic time of year.
• Lower the bar a little. Do you really have to have all the trim in the bathroom painted before Aunt Lois visits? Is it essential to string lights over every piece of foliage in the yard? Is it absolutely necessary to have hand-lettered place cards at the dinner table? If all the “extras” are keeping you up at night and causing your eyes to glaze over, cross them off the list and take those few extra moments to enjoy the anticipation of the holiday season with family or friends.
• Don’t wait until you’re at the breaking point to yell for help. Plan with your family and delegate early in the season, especially when it comes to decorating, special cleaning chores or preparing meals. And be willing to let go of some of the tasks you’ve always done your way; let others try their creative hand at things and simply enjoy the results.
• Last but not least, make sure you get your sleep in. Instead of feeling that you need to work through the nights to get things done, opt to get to bed at a reasonable time and get up an hour earlier if you must. Having a reasonably good night’s rest goes a long way toward a more optimistic view in the morning.