A Few Timely Tips to Save Your Sanity at Holiday Time

I'm guessing I don't have to tell you how stressful the holidays can be. And some of us are better equipped to deal with that stress than others. Add into the mix the fact that emotions run at an all-time high during the holiday season. Then factor in a few extenuating circumstances, like too much merry-making, not enough sleep, too much to do, not enough time to do it, and too little money to do it with. What we have here, folks, is a old-family recipe for a Christmas disaster brewing. So what's a person to do? How do we bring it all under control without resorting to threats involving bodily harm?

Know Your Limits

Repeat after me: Tradeoffs are good. If you've been invited to six different holiday shindigs, pick a couple you'd like to attend and send your regrets to the rest. It's called preserving your sanity, and anyone worth their salt in friendship is sure to understand.

Delegate

Who says you have to do it all? Chances are, a few other people will benefit from all of your harried holiday planning, so let them pitch in and give you a hand with the planning and preparation. Who knows? They may even enjoy being asked to help and feel a greater part of the final outcome for being allowed to contribute their time, energy and expertise.

Getting Down To Dollars Makes Sense.

Let's face it: the holidays are expensive. Do yourself a favor and plan it all out on paper ahead of time. Assign a dollar amount to every person on your gift-giving list and stick to it. Don't forget to add in all those extra holiday expenses that often get overlooked, like shipping costs for out of state gifts, postage stamps for your holiday cards and tips for mailmen, paper carriers,sanitary engineers...all those people whose services you count on throughout the year.

With everything written down in black and white ahead of time you'll have plenty of time to make any adjustments you need to make which is sure to keep you from seeing red come January when all of those holiday bills come rolling around.

Bottom line? The holidays should be all about spending some peaceful, relaxing quality time with our friends and family without all the stress and mess. And they can be if we do our homework ahead of time and we greet the holidays with a plan.

Best Wishes for a Bright & Happy Holiday Season!