How to have a stress-free Christmas

Christmas comes but once a year, which can be a good thing if you are the one doing all the work. Despite demanding work schedules and economic pressures, many parents still feel the need to do it all. Women in particular will run ourselves ragged creating the perfect Christmas. Unfortunately though, our good intentions often just add to our stress load.

So how can you avoid festive overload yet bring alive the best part of your holiday vision? First and foremost, you need to slow down. It is only when we step back and look at all we have added to our already full plates that we can really see the path of destruction we have created for ourselves.

Throw away your many to-do lists and focus on your family. Re-connect. Lead by example; show your family how to turn the volume down and the meaning up. Easier said than done, right?

In an effort to get off the treadmill myself and find a little peace amid the panic, I sought the advice of fellow mothers. As a result, I discovered they are many great ways to make the holidays not only more meaningful for children but also more manageable for parents.

The general consensus was watch out for the superficial and its power to draw your attention away from what’s really important. Also determine your most important goal for the season and never lose sight of it.

Don’t Try And Do It All Yourself

The more you throw yourself excessively into holiday preparations and don’t give up any of the responsibility, the more resentful and left out your family members will feel.

Let your spouse and kids choose which holiday task they’d like to take on. If your kids like decorating, they can string the garland and make painted snowflakes on the windows. Dad might want to be in charge of getting the tree and handling the exterior decorations.

Once you delegate, accept the results. Don’t stress out if it isn’t exactly the way you would have done it but instead put on smile and say ‘good job’. Think of the bigger picture – everyone can now take pride in performing a holiday task and share in the festivities.

Learn To Say No

Don’t allow requests from outside your family to push you to the breaking point.

Recognize your limitations and stick to them. Don’t feel bad about saying no; instead realize you’re doing yourself and your family a favor by not overextending yourself.

Forget About the Joneses

So what if all your friends homes look like holiday wonderlands with handcrafted ornaments and gingerbread baking in the oven. Don’t feeling guilty about what you could be doing, concentrate instead on your children and what you enjoy doing together.

Keep Social Engagements to a Minimum

The holidays are a family time and shoehorning in too many activities may get in the way of a happy and relaxed experience. Who says you have to accept every invitation that comes your way? Sit down with your family and make a priority list of all your annual holiday obligations. Which ones do you truly enjoy and which ones can you do without?

Remember Christmas is a season, not a one-day blitz. Pull out the calendar and start prioritizing. As the invitations come in check to see if you’ve left time for quiet evenings at home and spontaneous family activity.

Let Go Of Childhood Traditions That Aren’t Enjoyed

Just because you have fond childhood memories of Christmases past doesn’t mean your spouse and children will share the same ‘warm fuzzy’ over the tradition. You may have enjoyed trekking out to the far reaches of your farm in the search of the perfect Christmas tree or you may have dreaded the activity because it was usually damn cold and your dad always insisted on cutting down only ‘Charlie Brown’ trees.

Either way, you shouldn’t encourage reluctant family members to continue a tradition just because it was something you have always done. Often we let our past holiday memories dictate how our family should celebrate the holidays.

Spending a family night together doing absolutely nothing but cuddling on the couch and watching a holiday movie can be the perfect antidote to holiday madness.