~Helen Hunter
- Delegate responsibilities and activities so that one person is not taking on more than can be accomplished without help.
- Do not assume responsibility for the entire household’s holiday happiness.
- Work minute by minute on your attitude. Postpone becoming angry and show understanding and calmness. This technique should be used not only during the holiday period, but every day!
- Any task that you have chosen to do, whether it be the cooking, cleaning, gift wrapping, card addressing, organizing, decorating or shopping, is to be viewed as a choice that you made. Try to have fun in tackling these tasks, which will make the holiday easier and keep your spirits positive.
- Start traditions that make the most sense to you in your life now. It doesn’t always have to be done the same way every year.
- Do things together as a family that you all truly enjoy.
Make the holiday season a time for you and your loved ones to have fun and to share special memories. When the entire season is over, sit down, relax and count your blessings. Remind yourself as to how lucky you are. When you make an effort to have a joyous, stress-free holiday, you can avoid the stress. The key is to plan ahead, and to ask for and accept help from others.