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Seems that the weeks and months keep going quicker every year... The daily increase of Christmas music being played reminds us that the holiday season is nearly upon us.  Are you beginning to feel irritable, or tense?  Are you losing sleep or gaining weight?  Do you just feel overwhelmed?

If so, maybe you are suffering from holiday stress.  Most of of us end up dreading the holiday season because it is an exhausting time and the children are more "active" than normal.  So what can we do to put the fun back into the holidays?  All the experts say to start by lowering your expectations...  We don't always need to strive for that perfect holiday mixture of Norman Rockwell and Martha Stewart.  Maybe you even need to start some "new" family traditions.

Family Education has some great tips to reduce holiday stress...

1. Reassess and Prioritize
Holiday stress sets in when you try to do it all. Stress is an emotional reaction to circumstances that you feel are out of control. To cope, take some time out, rethink what's stressing you out, and look for alternatives.  Also, change your demands to preferences: Tell yourself, "If I have time, I'll do this and that. If not, I'll only do that."

2. Delegate!
Does the house need cleaning or decorating? Let each family member be responsible for a room or create a "job jar." Everybody takes a turn choosing what his or her job will be. Jobs can be color-coded according to age. When you delegate, you have to make your expectations clear to your kids, and you may have to lower your standards a little bit.

3. Don't Give in to the "Gimmes"
"I want, I want!" This familiar phrase can wear parents down over the holidays, but giving in to your child's every request can cause financial distress. Psychologist Dorothy Cantor says, "It's okay to tell your child that a gift is too expensive. Tell him that even Santa Claus has limited funds."

Another way to fight the commercialism of the holidays is to beef up on the traditions that don't cost any extra money. Bake cookies, go caroling, give to needy families, or volunteer. Explain to your kids that there are a lot of families who don't have as much as they do. To get kids into the spirit of giving, ask them to pick a few of their old toys to donate to the less fortunate.

4. Be Realistic About Relatives
When the in-laws visit this season, have realistic expectations for the short term. Don't try to solve past issues with family members over the holidays. It's not the time to bring up every little irritation. Use discretion. And if going to a certain relative's house every year causes a lot of holiday stress, decide if you really need to do it. Maybe you can go every other year instead.

5. Flexibility Can Buy You Time
How can you get anything done when the little ones are home on vacation and you only have a few days off? University of Indiana education professor Janette Shaw suggests parents take turns looking after kids with neighbors or colleagues. And how about hiring a babysitter to take the kids to the movies or to play with them for a few hours while you're working around the house.

6. Set Limits for College Kids
A college student home for the holidays can wreak havoc on family routines. For months now, your teen has been on his own and doing things very differently. The disruption could be the college girlfriend who plans to sleep in your son's bed. Or perhaps your daughter is now accustomed to sleeping with the radio blaring. Whatever the case, you'll need to set some ground rules in advance. Everyone's going to have to compromise during the visit. So it's important that parents and kids be respectful of each other.

We don't need to be perfect to enjoy this time of year... In fact, if you think about it, this is the time of year that we celebrate someone else taking care of our imperfections.  Relax and enjoy it!

// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 3:35 PM