1. Spend time with God. Set goals to read the Bible, pray, have Christmas devotions, and attend worship services

2. Be realistic with your expectations. Ask yourself, “Am I trying to have the perfect Christmas?” A good Christmas is still a good celebration.

3. Make time for the things you value. Focus your time and energy on family closeness, church celebrations, and community activities.

4. Exercise is a great way to relieve holiday stress. A simple, daily 10 minute walk will help fight off stress.

5. Maintain a sense of humor. Take a laugh break, share a joke or funny story with someone but do take time to laugh.

6. Spread out the holiday season. All festivities don’t have to be crammed between Thanksgiving and Christmas, perhaps have a January gathering.

7. Put the holiday season into perspective. How important will this holiday season be in 5 years?

8. Don’t overschedule yourself. Keep your “superwoman/superman” instincts in check.

9. Look at the holiday season one day at a time. Worrying just wastes precious energy. Instead, plan ahead but just focus on accomplishing 2 or 3 tasks each day.

10. Say “no” without guilt. Allow yourself the right to say “no” to the things that frustrate you and concentrate on people and activities you enjoy.

11. Ask for help when you need it. Delegate responsibilities to other family members, hire a house-cleaning service, have a neighborhood youngster shovel your sidewalk and driveway, etc.

12. Always look for the good or positive aspects when things don’t turn out exactly as you had hoped or planned.

This Week: Begin implementing one or two ideas to handle holiday stress.

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