SURVIVE
CHRISTMAS
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WITHOUT THE STRESS
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As the year winds down, you might find yourself feeling all wound up about the approaching holiday season. However, developing the ability to enjoy peace during the holidays is absolutely possible. You can successfully survive Christmas this year without having to deal with an overload of stress.
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Give yourself permission to let go of old traditions. Tell yourself that, although you remain loyal to your family, you don’t have to remain loyal to traditions during the holidays that you actually don’t enjoy. It really is okay to not carry out every single tradition your family did.
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Talk with your spouse and kids. Ask them what parts of the holiday celebrations they really like. Maybe they have their own ideas for what they’d like to do. Creating a new wonderful way of sharing the holidays together will deepen your family relationships.
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Plan ahead. Everything goes better with some planning. Keep a short list of what you would like to do for an event. It might have things like, “Clean living room, kitchen, and downstairs bathroom, order sandwiches, get chips, soda, and paper plates at the store.
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Consider having a potluck. Ask guests to prepare a single dish to bring to complete the dinner. Make your list of foods (or categories of foods) you want to serve. Then, contact each guest and let them know you’ll be making the main dish and would like everyone to bring a side or dessert!
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If money’s an issue, give gifts of homemade food items. Nothing is more appreciated during the holiday season than a lovely plate of cookies or a decorative bag filled with homemade peanut brittle, peppermint bark, or caramels.
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Consider your budget. How much will you spend on holiday gifts? And how much will you spend per gift or person? Set these amounts in advance to ensure you don’t break the bank due to holiday spending. In ideal circumstances, set aside money all year that will be available to you when you’re ready to start shopping.
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Keep people informed. As families grow larger, sometimes people feel left out of holiday planning. Use technology to let everyone know what’s planned. Emails, text messages and even Facebook can be used to keep everyone updated. If family members feel they are communicated with equally, some tensions may be reduced.
BECAUSEMOMSAYS.COM
Keep people informed. As families grow larger, sometimes people feel left out of holiday planning. Use technology to let everyone know what’s planned. Emails, text messages and even Facebook can be used to keep everyone updated. If family members feel they are communicated with equally, some tensions may be reduced.
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Make it interesting. Rather than getting together at your parents’ home on the morning of a holiday, why not invite your parents out for dinner the night before? No one has to cook and everyone’s holiday is freed up the next day if you get together at a restaurant the evening before.
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